


Awakening

by 68hawkeye_fan



Series: Top of the Food Chain [2]
Category: The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV), V Wars (TV)
Genre: BAMF Damon Salvatore, BAMF Elijah Mikealson, Gen, Post The Originals, Post The Vampire Diaries, Post-Canon, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 29
Words: 82,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23359396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/68hawkeye_fan/pseuds/68hawkeye_fan
Summary: Jimmy learns more over Damon's former life. And Klaus thinks it's time to do something about the Bloods, Elijah agrees completely.
Relationships: Damon Salvatore & Elijah Mikaelson, Damon Salvatore & Klaus Mikaelson, Davina Claire/Kol Mikaelson, Elijah Mikealson & Klaus Mikaelson, Rebekah Mikaelson/Marcel Gerard
Series: Top of the Food Chain [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680124
Comments: 49
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working home office for two weeks now and I only leave the apartment when I have to. It's all so strange right now with the contact lock and I miss seeing other people. I live in NRW and of course in one of the hotspots.
> 
> I am currently distracting myself with The Originals and The Vampire Diaries, which is why I am now writing a sequel. I appreciate comments; tell me how you find the story.

They were maybe one hour on the road when Damon became increasingly nervous, he had a bad feeling. Listening to his gut feeling, he called his headquarters. “Leave the base immediately and go to our alternative base 3. If you don't hear from me in the next 12 hours, change the base again.”

“Yes, boss. What has happened?”

“I made an important contact and I don't want to have anyone but Jimmy with me when I meet him.  
One more thing, should we not speak again and your situation gets untenable, go to Mystic Falls in Virginia, you are safe there. When they stop you at the city border, be polite, say that Damon Salvatore sends you and ask for Alaric Saltzmann.  
If you see him, give him greetings from Damon Salvatore and tell him I hope he kept my bar stool in the Mystic Falls Grill free for me, as I did it for him during his stay in the veil.”

“Okay, boss.” Daniel’s voice was a little puzzled by these strange instructions, but he asked no further questions.

“Be careful, Daniel.”

“You and Jimmy too, boss.” Daniel hung up.

Jimmy eyed Luther from the side after he hung up too. “Should I even ask you?”

Damon sighed. “I suddenly had a bad feeling.”

“You think Elijah is luring us into a trap?”

“Elijah? God no, he has no reason and it is not his style as long as there aren’t important reasons for it, which I don’t see in this situation. Perhaps we have simply been too long in this place.” Damon shook his head. “I have learned the hard way to listen to my feelings in these situations.”

“We are still for several hours on the road. Why don’t you explain a few things to me?”

“Well, I promised you explanations, didn't I?” Damon hesitated. “Are you sure, you want to hear them? Humans drawn into this world usually end up undead or as corpses. Maybe you should join the others.” There was genuine concern in his voice.

“I'm afraid it's too late for that, I already know too much.” Jimmy looked at Damon and felt how his perception of him had changed, he no longer thought of him as Luther. “And I will not leave you alone!”

“As you wish!” Then Damon started telling Jimmy about his first life as a human and his second life as a vampire. He spoke of vampires, werewolves and witches, their weaknesses and their strengths. In addition, he spoke of his friends and allies but also of the enemies, he had made over the centuries and who still wanted his death.

When Damon finally fell silent, there was a long time silence between the two men.

“Now that is what I call a good story”, said Jimmy finally in a dazed voice.

“I warned you”, replied Damon and smirked.

“You talked a lot about your friends and enemies, but you didn't tell me anything about Elijah and this Klaus.”

“Oh, the Originals deserve independent story time and perhaps you shouldn’t know too much about them before you meet them. You will sleep better.” Damon laughed. “They never were what you call common enemies and no matter what happened later in Mystic Falls, they were always the most memorable enemies for me.”

“You have used this expression before, what does it mean?”

“That they are the first vampires and every vampire that exists is because they descended from them. If one of them dies, his entire bloodline dies with him.”

“How do you know that? And what was your bloodline?”

“Klaus claimed that we belonged to his bloodline.” Damon shrugged. “Elijah and Rebecca never contradicted him, so it could be true.  
There used to be five Originals but now there are only three of them. It is damn difficult to kill an Original, I know of only one way. You can hurt them, you can put them temporarily down if you are smart and surprise them, but never for long and when they're back...” Damon shrugged meaningful.

“You have a big problem, I understand. How did the other two die?”

“That was teamwork and in retrospect, pure luck. I was only involved in killing Finn, I never had anything to do with killing Kol.” Damon looked grim. “And believe me, I would have enjoyed killing him.”

“How do you kill an Original?”

Damon looked solemnly at his friend. “I will never tell you that. This kind of information is not good for your health. The less you know about certain things, the better for you.”

Jimmy shrugged and accepted Damon’s decision without resistance. “I find it amazing that Elijah calls you a friend nonetheless.”

“Twenty years is a long time and the circumstances were for all of us difficult at that time. We also helped them kill their parents, which earned us a few bonus points from them”, mentioned Damon nonchalantly.

“I beg your pardon?” asked Jimmy incredulously.

“In the lexicon should be a picture from the Originals and their parents next to the word ‘Dysfunctional family’. My parents were shitty enough but the number Mikael and Esther did on their children, phew. He was a murderous asshole and she was a bitch. They only agreed on one thing that they wanted to see their children dead. And that, after they were the ones responsible for the creation of the Originals.”

“So what are the Originals to you?”

“We have a very complicated relationship. We fought against each other, allied us against common enemies, tortured and tried to kill each other.” Damon exhaled slowly.  
“For a vampire, the word 'never' does not have the same meaning as for humans; everything can change over the centuries, nothing stays the same.  
In a way Stefan, Elijah, Klaus und Rebecca and I clicked with each other, they were older and more powerful than Stefan and me but…” Damon shrugged and struggled for the right words.

"You could relate to each other," said Jimmy thoughtfully.

“Yes. We recognized ourselves in the others. Like I said, it is complicated. I was serious when I said that you didn't want to be drawn into my world.”

The fatigue in Damon's eyes made Jimmy pensive and he was now for the first time able to believe that Damon was really 200 years old.

“Elijah respects you”, said Jimmy thoughtfully.

“Fight someone and you get to know him.” Damon laughed. “I think even Klaus had a little respect and fondness for us at the end and that's no small feat.”

“How do you know that?”

“Well, he didn’t kill us.”

“This Klaus must be a very interesting character."

“You can say that again.” Damon sighed. “Listen, if you stay with me it's probably only a matter of time before you meet him. As soon as he realizes that I like you, he will know that you are a lever against me. If he ever wants something that I can or will not give to him and that he can’t compel from me he will use you.”  
Damon looked grimly at the street. “I know what Klaus can do to someone and I will never subject you to something like this. He knows no scruples, no restraint and no mercy with his opponents and he has a really explosive temper.”  
Damon looked ashamed. “Klaus and I share a similar personality. With Elijah I always shared the bond of being the older brother and to have a younger brother for which we more than once sacrificed everything.”

“So it's best for me to stay in the background and talk as little as possible when he's around.”

“This is definitely a good place to start. Just be careful and don't provoke him.”

“I do my best. We are back.”

Damon looked up and saw the usual sign that signalled him that the evacuation went smoothly and there was no one left at the base. “The others are gone. Good.”

Damon and Jimmy got out of the car and walked to the front door of the complex.

However, the closer Damon got to the door, the more his spider sense tingled. He put a hand on Jimmy's arm. “Stop, there is something wrong here.”

Damon didn't have to say another word because Jimmy felt it too. Both men drew their guns, but it was too late. Bloods came out of their hiding places and surrounded them, too many to kill and then get away from them.

Damon and Jimmy exchanged a resigned glance then they gave up their weapons and let themselves handcuff without resistance.

A young woman moved through the Bloods, which made room for her without hesitation. “It seems I finally got lucky. Dr. Swann, so nice to see you again.”

“I wish I could say the same”, replied Damon coldly.

Ava O'Malley smiled thinly. “You have changed.”

Damon grinned sardonically. “Not as much as you think. Where are my men?”

“They were regrettably already gone when we came here. I thought I would go back to Calix empty-handed but it looks like I was wrong. Bring them inside! I'll interrogate them; maybe we can get the whole group after all.”

Damon did the math anxiously. They had to hold up against the interrogation for an hour, after that Daniel would change the base again and this time Damon would not know where to find them. He looked at Jimmy, who nodded in agreement; he had done the same calculations as Damon, this was doable for them.

This would be the first time that someone would torture Damon as a human being and he was a little nervous about it. He just hoped that he would be strong or rather stubborn enough to get through the next hour.

The Bloods tied up Damon and Jimmy with their hands above their heads and then two Bloods started beating them up without asking any questions. Only in this case, it was to their disadvantage because as long as the Bloods didn't ask them questions, he and Jimmy could buy time.

Damon, who, to his dismay, knew more about torture than he ever wanted to know, recognized their tactic. The Bloods wanted to make them afraid of what other things they were going to do to them and they concentrated their attention on him because they thought he was the easiest to break. 

Finally, Ava stopped the Bloods and stood up in front of Damon. “Do you want to talk now?”

Damon grinned at her with a battered face and spat contemptuously blood before her feet. “No thank you!”

To Damon's surprise, his sense of pain as a human was not so different from when he was a vampire. He now knew that he would not break so fast. The only downside was that he no longer had the healing ability of a vampire.

Ava O'Malley was a little confused about his reaction, this was no longer the friendly and peaceful scientist she had previously met. “This is just the beginning of what we will do to you. Soon you will begging us for mercy and tell us anything you know.”

Damon just grinned insolently at her in his unique way that had more than once driven his enemies, friends and brother into a blind rage. He wanted to provoke Ava so that she would focus on him and ignore Jimmy.

He was pleased to see Ava O’Malley narrowing her eyes angrily at him; apparently, he hadn’t lost his knack to enrage his enemies beyond reason in the past 20 years.

“It is your choice.” Ava turned to her companions. “Take them down! We bring them to our headquarters.” With a cruel smile, she turned back to Damon. “It would have been better for you if you had spoken. Calix will enjoy it breaking you and take away all of your knowledge. To be honest, he actually regretted giving the order for your murder.”

“What, isn't he smart enough to unravel the secrets of the prions alone? I'm so shocked”, continued Damon to mock her.

“You will rue your insolence when Calix is done with you.”

“Honestly I doubt that, not that you will have the opportunity to bring him to this Calix. I know Damon’s impertinence from personal painful experience, he never shuts up or backs down”, sounded behind her the amused voice of a man with an indefinable accent.

Ava turned around in surprise, in the entrance stood a lean man in an expensive suit. She frowned irritated; she had stationed 10 bloods outside to keep them safe and undisturbed. Why hadn't they stopped the man?

Damon laughed so madly that Ava eyed him warily while the strange man only sighed long-suffering and studied Damon reproachful.

“Why do I always have to save you from being tortured?”

“Oh don't be like that, Elijah, you enjoy seeing me like this, it reminds you of the good old times.”

Elijah snorted contemptuously but grinned slightly before turning back to Ava O'Malley. “If you and your companions go now, I will not harm you. If you don't go...” He twisted the corners of his mouth into a humourless half smile and shrugged.

Ava O'Malley laughed derisively. “There is nothing you can do, you are alone.” She made a head movement and the other Bloods moved to surround the man.

“Well I am alone but I can do a lot of things without any help to you.” Elijah looked bored, took off his jacket, put it neatly over a chair and rolled up his shirtsleeves.

“Elijah, she is pretty high up in the Bloods’ hierarchy”, interfered Damon anxious. “It is possible she knows where my son is.”  
If he was honest, he couldn't await to watch Elijah wipe the floor with the Bloods but Ava had to stay alive for the moment. Ava really should have accepted Elijah's offer, but of course she had no idea what she and her people were up against now.

“Thanks for the information, Damon, I will let her live for now.” Elijah looked at Ava O'Malley. “Protect Damon and Jimmy with your life while I take care of your people. You will not try to escape and you will not attack me.” His emphasis did not change as he compelled Ava.

Ava O'Malley froze for a moment before she moved between the bound prisoners and the Bloods.

Jimmy stared at Damon, who just grinned at him and shrugged. From Damon's body language, Jimmy could see that by now he had totally relaxed.

“Do any of you want to go?” asked Elijah one last time. The Bloods only growled, even if Ava's reaction confused them. With a smile that Jimmy found more than scary, stepped Elijah further between the Bloods. “Shall we?”


	2. Chapter 2

For the next few minutes, Jimmy could neither believe nor look away from the bloodbath that was happening before his eyes.

Jimmy knew that Bloods were stronger and faster than normal humans but now they looked slow and badly outclassed compared to Elijah. 

Elijah tore with ease hearts out and heads off; his strength was unbelievable as he tossed Bloods through the factory hall. He killed them with a quickness that Jimmy could barely follow and with a nonchalance and pitilessness that made Jimmy’s blood freeze. In Elijah’s actions was no hesitation and no mercy.

Jimmy was not the only one who watched all this with a sick fascination. He couldn't see Ava's face who still stood between them and the Bloods, but the way her shoulders slumped down as it got with every minute clearer that nobody of the Bloods would survive this fight, told him everything he needed to know.

Damon, on the other hand, watched the fight - Jimmy hardly wanted to call it that - with a smile that made Jimmy shudder. “I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to watch an Original fight when it is not against you or your friends. You can say what you want but they know how to make an impression.”

Finally, the unequal fight was over. The few injuries that Elijah had sustained healed in a matter of seconds before Jimmy’s incredulous eyes.

Elijah looked indifferently at the slaughter he had committed before he walked to Ava, who immediately backed afraid away. “Sit in this chair, don’t move and don’t talk.”

Ava obeyed with jerky movements. When she sat down, Jimmy could see her face for the first time. It looked deeply shocked, absolutely terrified and there were tears standing in her eyes.

Elijah approached at first Jimmy, who instinctively backed away from him too but Elijah ignored this. He teared casually the chains from Jimmy's hands and caught him as he started to fall to the floor. With a consideration that he had not shown to the Bloods he brought Jimmy to an armchair that was nearby and let him slide gently into it.  
Then he placed another armchair next to Jimmy and went back to Damon to free him from his handcuffs too. This time Jimmy could watch as Elijah teared the chains apart as if they were paper, carefully catching Damon and helping him to the chair.

“Are you okay?” asked Elijah worried.

“Never felt better”, replied Damon sarcastically.

Elijah looked at Jimmy who just nodded; he was alright but at this moment he felt not capable of speaking.

Elijah unbuttoned his bloody shirt before taking it off. He used it to wipe the blood away from his torso and arms and then he dropped it carelessly. “I'll be back in a few minutes. Perhaps I can find a few bandages and other things in the car I came with.”

Damon and Jimmy remained silent as they waited, both of them glad that they could sit down and recover from their ordeal.

When Elijah came back, he had washed off the blood and was clean, had changed his clothes and was holding two bottles water and a first aid kit in his hands. “Who gets treated first?”

“Me”, answered Damon. He didn't think Jimmy wanted to be touched by Elijah right now. Before he could take care of Jimmy, he had to think of himself first.

Elijah only nodded, placed a bottle in front of Jimmy and started treating Damon. His hands were secure and careful as he took care of Damon’s injuries.

Jimmy drank the water thirstily and watched Elijah. He could hardly believe that this was the same man, who had caused such an incredible massacre among the Bloods.

Damon was a little surprised himself when finally the shock started; he went pale and started to tremble. Sometimes he really missed being a vampire.

Elijah went to his jacket and pulled a flask from the inside pocket of the jacket and gave it to Damon. “A drink?”

“Thanks, I can use that.” Damon took a deep sip. “Good bourbon. Do you want a drink too, Jimmy?”

“Yes, thanks”, answered Jimmy hoarsely, who had regained some control of himself again. When Elijah held the flask out to him, he accepted it without hesitation.

“Can I take care of your injuries or do you want to wait until Damon feels better?” asked Elijah softly. He was used to the shocked reactions of people who had seen for the first time what he was really capable off; he did not resent Jimmy’s negative reaction.

“No, it’s ok, you can do it”, replied Jimmy and took a deep breathe to prepare for the discomfort while his wounds were being cared for.

Elijah made sure that he moved slowly and that Jimmy could see every movement as he treated him. To his surprise, Jimmy didn't back off or flinch even once. 

Elijah had already noticed that humans dealing with Bloods had become tougher and more hardened. It was as Damon had already said; humans had gotten better at surviving.

In the end, Elijah palpated Jimmy's rips and Jimmy suddenly coughed. When Elijah looked at him, he noticed fresh blood on Jimmy’s lips. “This is not good, you have broken ribs and one of them pierced your lungs.”

“I know but there is nothing we can do”, answered Jimmy resigned. “The nearest hospital is too far away, I don’t believe I will survive this.”

Damon looked pleadingly at Elijah, not wanting to lose another friend to the Bloods.

“There is a way to heal you but for that you need to drink my blood”, Elijah explained, he didn't want to force Jimmy to do anything.

Jimmy looked uncertain at Damon, who nodded reassuringly. “It will help you.”

“Will I become your kind of vampire?” asked Jimmy hesitantly.

Elijah smiled. “No, not from this. It is a first step, nothing more and the last step is ultimately your choice as long as no one intervenes.”

Damon looked down, Stefan had intervened and made this decision for him. “It will not change you, you remain human.”

Jimmy decided to trust Damon and Elijah. “Okay.”

Elijah took a pair of scissors from the first aid kit and cut his wrist open before holding it out to Jimmy, again leaving the choice to him.

Jimmy took the wrist and drank Elijah's blood. He immediately felt the effects, the pain subsided and his injuries healed. He heard a surprised gasp and when he followed the noise, he saw Ava looking at Elijah with big and awed eyes.

“Why don’t you heal Damon, too?” asked Jimmy confused.

“It wouldn’t work”, answered Damon quietly. “Remember what I told you about me turning back to a human. The cure prevents me from being healed by the blood of a vampire or being turned back into a vampire.”

“Which is why it would be a good idea, Damon, if you would refrain from baiting your enemies in the future”, admonished Elijah.

“Yes, I am in favour of this too”, remarked Jimmy smirking.

“Sure, join up against me.” Damon rolled his eyes. “We have to go before someone comes over. We don’t want to get caught from the police or other Bloods.”

“But first, we have to know where to go.” Elijah eyed Ava dispassionately, his face unmoving. “You may speak.”

“Who are you? What are you? How can you do that? And why do you call him Damon?” asked Ava every question that came to mind. Somehow, she felt that this was her last chance to get answers.

Elijah and Damon exchanged looks; a silent communication took place between them and then Damon nodded.

Elijah got a chair, placed it in front of Ava and sat opposite of her. “Are you sure, you want answers to your questions, love? The more you know, the less I am inclined to let you live and already now I find it very unlikely that you will survive.”

Ava went pale when she heard the coldness in Elijah’s voice and there was something completely inhuman in his eyes. This man was more frightening than Calix ever had managed to be, he didn't bother with threats or intimidation, he simply told the truth. “Yes, I want to know.”

Elijah shrugged. “It is up to you! My name is Elijah Mikealson, I am a vampire and an Original. Which means I can heal humans, have increased physical abilities and can compel you to do everything I want.” Elijah looked at Damon. “And I call him Damon because it is his true name with which he was borne 200 years ago.”

Ava opened her mouth and then closed it again, at a loss for words. 

“You can say, we are old enemies but I like him a lot more than I like your kind. By the way, you are not a vampire, you and your kind are a mutation. You have to be undead to be a vampire.”

“Undead?”

“Yes, I died a very long time ago. However, you are alive, perhaps you will have a few more years than humans do but you will grow old and you will die. I on the other hand will live forever and remain unchanged.”

“And how old are you?” asked Ava timid.

Elijah smirked. “I am over thousand years old; I was born as a Viking. My family came to what today the United States are when I was but a child.”

Jimmy choked on the water that he was drinking and started spitting.

Damon laughed amused. “He really doesn’t look like it, does he?”

“As I was so gracious to answer your questions you will now answer mine.” Elijah looked in Ava’s eyes and compelled her. “You will answer every question we ask completely and honestly. If you think there is something, I should know although I didn’t ask you, you will tell me. I am understood?”

“Yes”, answered Ava obediently.

“Good. Do you know where Damon’s son is?”

“In a private lab in New Orleans.”

“Oh great”, said Damon and rolled his eyes.

Elijah sighed. “Indeed.” He looked at Ava pityingly. “You are a very unlucky girl. It looks like you will meet my brother and he is not as pleasant as I am. He likes your kind even less than I do.”

“Not as pleasant?” asked Ava dumbfounded. 

Elijah only smiled at her and there was nothing pleasant about it.

“What’s the matter?” asked Jimmy bewildered.

“Klaus lives in New Orleans”, answered Damon morosely.

“I would have preferred to not involve my brother in your son’s rescue but there is no way that he won’t notice us coming into town and freeing Damon’s son. After all, he is the king of New Orleans and if I attack a laboratory he will get curious.”   
Elijah sighed again. “And he gets tetchy, when someone keeps secrets he thinks he should know about, especially if they are mine. And honestly, there is no reason why I shouldn’t tell him.” Elijah looked at Damon, asking him for understanding.   
“He is difficult enough to manage at the best at times but if I keep this away from him it will anger him and he will get very ill-tempered.”

“And an irritated Klaus is no fun”, agreed Damon wincing. 

"If he learns that the Bloods have secretly set up a laboratory in New Orleans and are experimenting on a child, Damon's child to boot, his reaction will be..." Elijah winced too. "Let me put it this way, he will first take it out on you, then on the laboratory and finally he will go after the rest of your people."   
Elijah looked at Ava. “And he will get help when he goes after the Bloods, the supernatural part of this world is not very happy with your species.”

“But you said, that Damon is an old enemy of yours”, replied Ava anxious.

“He may be but my brother is a father too. And he always liked Damon’s candour.” 

“So New Orleans?” asked Damon.

“New Orleans”, replied Elijah smiling. “Is there anything here, you want to take with you?”

“No, my people took everything with them. Damn, which time it is?” asked Damon nervous.

“It is too late”, answered Jimmy. “Don’t worry, they know where to go, when they need help.”

“Yes, they do.” Damon breathed deeply. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s go”, agreed Elijah and helped Damon up. “You are lucky; I stole a SUV so you will have enough room to stretch out. I don’t think it would be very pleasant for you to sit all the time.”

Jimmy stood up too. “What about her?”

Elijah looked at Ava. “You come with us. You will do whatever one of us tells you. You will not try to escape and if we meet others of your kind, you will not warn them or give them a sign that anything is amiss.” He smiled at her. “You know now what I can and will do to them.”

Ava swallowed and nodded.

“Well, then off to New Orleans”, said Elijah smiling. “But we have to make a few stops on the way.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished the second season of The Originals. I love the series and Elijah, what a great character.

Their first stop was a hospital. Elijah went in while Damon, Jimmy and Ava were waiting in the car.

“What does he want here?” Jimmy asked curiously.

“I think he'll organise a couple of blood bags for the road and maybe painkillers for me”, replied Damon.

“Will he kill for it?”

“No, he will simply compel somebody to get what he wants. Of course, if he encounters someone who is on vervain all bets are off.”

“What does vervain again?” Jimmy tried to remember but drew a blank.

Damon hesitated before answering. The look he gave Ava told Jimmy that she was the reason for his hesitation. “If you consume or carry vervain with you, vampires cannot compel you.”

“Is it very difficult to get?”

“The easiest way to get it is from witches or if you know a place where it grows.”

“So it doesn't grow everywhere?”

“Yes and no. When Vampires come across an area where it grows, they burn everything down and tear out the roots.” Damon shrugged. “As I did more than once so witches started to plant private gardens for themselves with various herbs, including vervain, to always have a supply.”

“And they will just give it to Elijah?” asked Jimmy sceptical.

Damon snorted. “Hardly, but there aren't many witches who would dare to refuse the demand of an Original. What is more important Elijah has the best reputation of all Originals, it is common knowledge that he keeps his word when he makes a deal or a promise. Of course, if you break your word or the deal with him, you are in trouble. His reactions in those cases are as spectacular as Klaus’ and just as violent.”

“So if I had accepted his offer...?” inquired Ava with faltering voice.

“Your people would still be alive and you wouldn't be on the way to New Orleans to have a long and very painful conversation with Klaus.” Damon eyed her coldly. “By the way, Elijah was telling the truth, he is far more easy-going than Klaus.”

“He slaughtered my people”, Ava said bitterly.

“You would have done the same to him so don't complain. The difference between the two brothers is that Elijah kills someone quickly unless something really upsets him or someone messes with his family. Klaus on the other hand really likes to play with his food.”

That was the last thing somebody said until Elijah came back. He carried a cooling box and put it on the back seat floor, where it didn't hamper Damon. Next, he reached into his jacket pocket and handed Damon a pillbox. “Don’t take more than 1 dose every 6 hours.”

Damon opened the box, snatched one pill and swallowed it dry. “Thank you, Elijah. Did you have any problems?”

“I didn’t harm anyone”, responded Elijah to Damon's actual if unasked question. He got behind the wheel and they drove off.

After a few minutes, Damon closed his eyes and his breathing slowed as the drug started to work. Jimmy turned around from time to time to make sure everything was okay with him.

Elijah saw it out of the corner of his eyes and smiled inwardly. He was happy that Damon had at least found one good friend in his new life.

The journey was silent for the next few hours. The two awake men didn't want to disturb their friend's sleep and the one time when Ava quietly asked what the next stop was, Elijah gave her a warning look that silenced her immediately.

Finally, Damon stirred in the back seat and yawned. “How long did I sleep?”

“A few hours”, answered Jimmy. “How are you?”

“I’m fine just a little sore. How about a short stop to stretch the legs?”

Elijah looked in the rear-view mirror. “Can you wait for half an hour? We're very close to a witch I know.”

“Yes I can. Vervain?”

“Vervain”, Elijah agreed. “I won't take you or Jimmy to New Orleans without vervain.”

“Thanks, I will definitely feel safer with vervain in my blood.”

Elijah grinned. As promised, half an hour later he turned onto a private path that led to a small house with a large garden. “Do you want to accompany me, Jimmy?”

“I always wanted to meet a witch”, Jimmy replied ironically. “What do you want me to do?”

“Nothing. This witch will simply be more cooperative if you, a human, is with me. Just be polite.”

The car stopped and everyone got out.

“You will come with me”, Damon ordered Ava, who reluctantly followed him. His movements were laborious, which didn't change after he took a few steps.

Jimmy saw that Damon was still hurting and he looked worriedly at Elijah, who frowned too. “Is it a good idea to bring him to New Orleans in this state?”

“No, and that's another reason I chose this witch. She has a talent for healing potions.”

“How forceful will you have to be with her?”

Elijah looked at him with understanding. “Not much at all, Layla has known me for many years, she may complain about the disruption but she will ultimately help me.”

Elijah knocked on the door and a young looking woman with red hair opened the door. Her green eyes widened in surprise when she recognized Elijah. “Elijah? What do you want?”

“Hello Layla, it's nice to see you too”, Elijah greeted her courteously if a little sarcastic.

“I wish I could say the same thing. How is your disaster of a family?”

“As always. I will tell Klaus that you asked about him.” Elijah smirked.

“Please don't do that.” Layla sighed then eyed Jimmy, whom she immediately recognized as a human. “Did you compel him?”

“No, ma’am, I’m with Elijah voluntarily”, Jimmy replied respectfully.

Layla raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Then come in.” She stepped aside and let the two men in. “What do you want, Elijah?” She got straight to the point after closing the door.

“I need vervain for Jimmy and another friend, who is outside. In addition, I need one of your famous healing potions for him; he was beaten up pretty badly.”

“What about the woman, who is with your friend?” Layla asked curious.

“She gave the orders.” Elijah smiled humourlessly. “She is facing an interrogation through Klaus; if we give her vervain now, it would be inconvenient for me and unnecessary painful for her.”

“Oh, I don’t mind if it gets painful for her”, Jimmy grumbled vicious.

Layla did hear him. “What did she do to you?”

“She tortured both of us so I really don't care much about her well-being.”

Layla looked at Jimmy. “You are not injured, which means Elijah healed you. But I'm wondering, Elijah, why do you need one of my potions for your other friend, why not heal him yourself?”

“Does the name Damon Salvatore tells you anything, Layla?” asked Elijah softly.

Layla swallowed. “I understand. Did you know that I met him once when he was still a vampire? Fortunately, he was in a good mood and he even helped me when he didn't have to.” Layla smiled nostalgically. “And he's very imaginative in bed.”

“He is much friendlier as a human and that is more than I ever wanted to know, thanks”, Elijah remarked dryly.

“Anyway, I owe him.” Layla went to a cupboard and took out a small and a large bottle. “The little bottle is the healing potion. Damon should drink it in one go even if it tastes hideous. Vervain is in the big bottle, it will be enough for a few weeks.” She gave Elijah both bottles.

Elijah took them and gave them to Jimmy before he kissed Layla on her cheek. “Thank you for this.”

“For you almost always.” Layla smiled at Jimmy. “Take care of yourself! It is dangerous for humans to hang out with Originals or the supernatural for that matter and it seldom ends well for them.”

“Thank you, Damon told me already the same thing.” Jimmy made a face. “But I have no choice, the Bloods grow more powerful with every day and we humans could really need help. And I have seen Elijah fight…”

“Yes, Originals are impressive when they fight but they never care much about collateral damage. This also applies to Elijah and he is by far the most considerate of them”, Layla warned Jimmy and completely ignored Elijah, who made no move to contradict her words nor did he look particularly offended. “I haven't met a Blood yet, but I've heard stories from my sisters and brothers who encountered one of them and got away. I would like to speak to her.”

“I have no objection”, replied Elijah. They left the house.

Damon and Ava were already waiting by the car, Damon enjoyed the fresh air and ignored Ava. When he recognized Layla, his eyes widened and he pushed away from the car. “Layla? It's been a long time since we saw each other.”

“Hello Damon.” Layla smiled at her former lover. “You look good, the additional years haven't hurt you.”

“And you look still beautiful.” Damon took Layla’s hand and kissed the back of her hand.

“And you're as charming as ever.” Layla gave Ava a careful once-over and used not only her normal senses but also her skills as a witch. “I now understand why my sisters and brothers decided to side with the vampires. Something is very wrong with your species.”  
Layla frowned. “It's almost like...” She put both hands on Ava's cheeks, who felt a slight tingle then Layla let abruptly go and wiped off her palms on her pants as if she had touched something disgusting.   
“I don't know if Klaus has already done this but tell him to have her examined by a witch who knows dark magic. The darker the magic, the better!” Without another word, Layla turned and went back to her house. 

Damon and Elijah stared bewildered after her before looking at each other. They both knew Layla well enough to realize that something had startled her badly.

“Huh”, Damon said thoughtfully.

“Yes”, Elijah agreed before looking at Ava. “You just got a lot more interesting to me and Klaus.” Then he abruptly changed the subject. “Are you hungry?”

“Yes, I am”, answered Ava, who felt more than a little shaken after the encounter with Layla.

Elijah took the cooling box from the back seat, put it on the trunk and opened it. He took out two blood bags and tossed one to Ava, who caught the bag easily and bit in it greedily. Elijah also bit into his bag though with far more restraint. Jimmy made involuntarily a disgusted face while Damon’s remained expressionless.

While the vampire and the Blood were eating, Jimmy gave Damon the healing potion and repeated Layla’s instruction.

Damon emptied the bottle with the healing potion and shook himself revolted. “The taste of these potions have not become better in the last twenty years.”

Jimmy watched as Damon's injuries healed and his body and face finally subtle relaxed. Only now it became clear to Jimmy how much pain Damon had truly been in.

“How about a sip of vervain to wash it down?” asked Jimmy relieved and handed the second bottle to Damon.

Damon took a long swallow and handed the bottle back. “Now you. One sip every 24 hours is enough and it will take 48 hours before a vampire can compel you again.”

“Good to know.” Jimmy was pleasantly surprised at the taste of vervain. “Not bad, I have drunk worse.”

“Only because you are human. For a vampire it's like drinking acid, and when it comes in contact with his skin it works that way too”, explained Damon with a serious expression.

“How do you know?”

“I drank the stuff for 2 years while the Originals were in Mystic Falls”, Damon replied with a closed off expression. “And everyone who knows about the effect of vervain on vampires uses it to make them talk or more docile.” 

Jimmy swallowed uneasy; he immediately understood what Damon implied with his hints. “I understand.”

“Do anyone of you want to take the wheel?” Elijah asked, who dabbed his mouth with a handkerchief and then passed it on to Ava.

“I'm driving”, Jimmy said and got behind the wheel. “Ava, you sit next to me, you two can share the back seat.”

“He is bossy,” Elijah said amused.

“Yes, he is”, agreed Damon similarly amused.

It was a good 24-hour drive to New Orleans and the three men took turns so that they only stopped to stretch their legs or to eat something.

During the trip, Elijah and Damon chatted a lot so that both knew what had happened to the other in the meantime. 

Damon talked proudly about his son and his life as a human. He shared a brief outline how the Bloods came into being and how he became involved or more precisely how the government had kidnapped and blackmailed him to help. He told Elijah how he and Jimmy met and what had happened in the background that the public had never learned. 

Elijah talked about his family drama, which was so characteristic for the Originals. Damon learned that Elijah had after a big disagreement not seen or spoken to Klaus for good 6 months. Klaus also did not know what Elijah had been up to in these months, which meant that their reception would not be necessarily friendly.

Jimmy but also Ava listened raptly though they sometimes exchanged flabbergasted or disturbed looks when there was talk about apocalypses, hell and the devil. The nonchalant way Damon and Elijah talked about murder, the death of family members and their subsequent resurrection did the rest, which made the two seriously wonder what they had gotten into.

Eventually they reached the city limits of New Orleans where a checkpoint with several guards stopped them.

Elijah had taken the wheel for the final leg because he knew New Orleans the best. He identified the guards at first glance as vampires even if he didn’t recognize them.

“Why are you here and what is your destination?” asked the vampire who was the speaker of the guards.

“The French Quarter”, Elijah replied mildly.

“We don’t want foreign vampires here, you are not welcome.” The speaker clearly didn’t know who Elijah was otherwise he wouldn't have talked to him like that. Damon and Jimmy he dismissed too since they were only human but his gaze got stuck on Ava. “She is a Blood. I have instructions not to let Bloods into town. You, Blood, get out!”

“She won't go anywhere, she is my prisoner and she has information that Klaus Mikaelson will want to hear. I want to see him.”

“Klaus Mikealson? Are you tired of life? Do you know what he does to people who annoy him or steal his time? And why do you think he wants to see you at all?” the speaker contemptuously scoffed.

“Oh, believe me I know. And he definitely wants to see me”, Elijah sounded amused but there was now an edge to his voice that didn’t bode well for the vampire’s health.

“He is the King of New Orleans; he doesn’t want to meet with someone like you. Okay, vampire, out of the car!” The vampire ordered and smiled cruelly in anticipation of what he would do with this strange vampire. “Time I give you a lesson in respect.”

Damon rolled his eyes. There would undoubtedly be a lesson in respect but he didn't think it would be Elijah who got this lesson.

“Young vampires, always so arrogant”, muttered Elijah. Damon snickered at these words and Elijah glared at him.

Elijah got out of the car and straightened out his sleeves before he suddenly stood next to the speaker, lifted him effortlessly on his throat up and slammed him roughly down on the hood of the car. “I know that you are only following the orders of my brother, which is commendable but I will not allow you to hinder me in any way.”

“Brother?” squeaked the speaker who finally realised that he was in big trouble.

“I'm Elijah”, introduced Elijah himself loud enough that the vampires who sneaked up behind his back could also hear him. These stopped as if they had run into an invisible wall, then they backed respectfully away and Elijah looked down at the vampire with a terrifying smile.

The vampire went pale and looked now very afraid. “I’m sorry”, he said meekly.

Elijah released him and the vampire struggled to his feet. “Apology accepted. Tell my brother that I'm on my way. And call the other checkpoints to let us through, I don't want to be stopped a second time.” 

There was a menace in his voice by these words that made everyone who listened to them shiver. Well, with the exception of Damon who just chuckled amused, which earned him incredulous gazes from the vampires who were outside of the car. 

“Yes, sir.” The speaker waved a hand and the other vampires quickly cleared the barricade.

Elijah got back in the car and drove off. In the rear-view mirror, he saw the speaker holding a cell phone to his ear and speaking with much gesturing into it.

“How did he know who you are?” Ava asked softly.

“Every vampire knows who I am”, replied Elijah indifferently.

“Every vampire knows your name”, corrected Damon, who was still grinning.

Elijah gave him a sour look. “It is a shame that I no longer can ram a pencil through your throat.”

Damon snickered again but didn't reply, he didn't want to challenge Elijah's patience so shortly before he met his brother again.

20 minutes after that they stopped in front of the compound without that another checkpoint tried to stop them.

“Well, let us face the beast”, Damon muttered to himself.

Elijah sighed resignedly and got out. “Jimmy and Ava, you stay in the background. As long as Klaus does not speak to you, please remain silent. Damon, can you try not to provoke him too much, please!”

“I will do my best.” Damon got out and Jimmy and Ava did the same. Jimmy recognized from Damon's body language that he was now more than tense.

Elijah and Damon were the first to go through the gate that lead to the courtyard, Jimmy and Ava followed directly behind them.

Klaus stood in the middle of the courtyard with his hands in the inside pockets of his pants and looked seemingly completely disinterested in seeing his brother again. When his eyes however fell on Damon, he took his hands out of his pockets, the only sign that he was surprised.

Elijah stopped a few steps ahead of Klaus. “Hello, Brother”, he greeted softly.

“Hello Brother. What brings you to New Orleans? Especially with such a surprising companion”, Klaus replied, his eyes still on Damon.

“Can I not miss my brother?” asked Elijah a counter question and showed his half smile that betrayed nothing.

“Gosh, are you two still doing this dance? Doesn't get it boring after 1000 years?” interfered Damon and rolled his eyes.

“Hello Damon”, greeted Klaus. “You look much older; the last 20 years didn't do you any good in your appearance.”

“And you're as tactful as ever.” Damon's response was full of irony. “Are you still daggering your siblings?”

Klaus' eyes started to gleam and for the next few minutes, he and Damon were gleefully exchanging insults to make up for the 20 years they hadn’t seen each other.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never written so much in so short a time. This more of a filler, sorry.

Klaus, Freya and Rebekah, who was visiting, had breakfast together as usual when they were all at home when Klaus ’cell phone rang.

Klaus frowned. Each of his people knew to only bother him at this time of the day if it was really important. The one who called him should better hope that it was something he deemed as urgent too.

“Yes?” Klaus listened. “What? Are you kidding me?” Klaus asked in a sharp voice.

Rebekah, who unlike Freya could hear the other side of the conversation, smiled overjoyed. Freya looked at her bemused and opened her mouth to ask a question but Rebekah shook her head and put her index finger to her mouth.

“Of course you will call the other guard stations and tell them to let him through. He would now kill without hesitation anyone who dared to stop him. You can count yourself lucky that you are still alive, he must be in a good mood.” Klaus interrupted the connection. “What an idiot!”

“Who is coming, Klaus?” Freya asked her younger brother.

“Elijah is back.” Klaus looked grimly at his sisters. “And it looks like he's bringing me a Blood as a gift.”

Freya and Rebekah exchanged looks. The fight between Elijah and Klaus had been pretty violent. Rebekah only knew what Freya had told her and even Freya never did find out why the two brothers did fight this time. Whatever it was that Elijah had brought back after such a short time and such a fight it had to be important for him. The fact that he brought a Blood to Klaus told them a part of the cause for his return.

“I hope you're behaving yourself”, Freya said in a stern voice. “I don't want to see a rematch of the last fight.”

“I am always behaving”, replied Klaus insulted.

Rebekah snorted contemptuously. “Since when? What did you do? What exactly was your disagreement about?”

Klaus avoided her eyes. “The usual, he disagreed with my tactical decisions. And who says that I was solely responsible for the argument?”

“We're talking about Elijah, of course it was your fault”, replied Rebekah dryly.

Klaus grumbled to himself but didn't speak loud or clear enough that his sisters could understand his words.

“The best thing is if you wait for him in the courtyard, Rebekah and I will stay here. Perhaps you should even consider apologizing to him.” Freya eyed Klaus with a raised eyebrow.

“I never apologize.”

“Oh, that I know”, Rebekah said snippy.

Freya sighed inwardly. She was happy that Elijah was back, she had missed her level-headed brother. He was the only one excerpt her in this family who was sensible and not prone to rush things or decisions.

Klaus got up and although he looked grumpy, both sisters knew he was happy that Elijah was back. Klaus was always more rational and balanced with Elijah on his side. 

As soon as Klaus stood in the courtyard and tried to look indifferent and relaxed, Rebekah and Freya hid behind the pillars on the balcony.

Both breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Elijah come through the gate, unharmed and as immaculately dressed as ever. A man strolled a step behind him and another man and woman walked a few steps behind them.

Rebekah frowned, the woman was clearly the Blood and the two men were human but something about the man who had stopped a step behind Elijah seemed strangely familiar. When she saw Klaus take his hands out of his pockets, she knew that her brother had recognized the man too and was surprised to see him. Moreover, it had to be a big surprise then it was rare that Klaus showed his reactions so clearly. 

Freya and Rebekah rolled their eyes when they heard Klaus’ and Elijah’s exchange; these two were so predictable. They were stunned though when the man behind Elijah quite impolite interrupted the two brothers by their usual dance around each other after a fight.

Rebekah shivered when she recognized the relaxed voice that she hadn't heard in so long. “I don't believe it”, she said incredulously.

Freya was just taken aback that her usual so erratic and hot-headed brother didn't kill the man for his impertinence. Then when the name-calling between the two really started, she was even more convinced that Klaus would kill the man every second but instead he looked content and thrilled.

Freya gave Rebekah an uncertain look who watched the squabble with a big grin. “Who is he?”

“This, sister, is Damon Salvatore.”

“The vampire who got Silas' cure?” Freya asked fascinated.

“The one and only.” Rebekah shook her head. “He always had a knack for getting under the skin of others, especially Klaus’. It looks like he hasn't unlearned anything. Come on, let's go downstairs and say hello.”

*****

As grateful as Elijah was to Damon for dispelling the tension between him and Klaus, it was time to call these two to order.

“Klaus, Damon, please, cease your bickering.” Elijah rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “When you're done throwing insults at each other, may we go back to the things that really matter?”

Klaus and Damon grinned at each other and did Elijah the favour.

When Elijah saw his sisters coming down the stairs, he smiled. He hadn't expected to see Rebekah in New Orleans.

“Hello, Freya. Rebekah, how nice to see you.” He kissed his sisters on the cheek when they stopped next to him. “Freya, may I introduce you to Damon Salvatore, an old enemy of the family.”

Freya held out her hand to Damon, who leaned over it and kissed the back of her hand.

“It's always a pleasure to meet a member of the Mikealson family.” Damon smiled at Freya and if he sounded a little sarcastic, he really couldn't be blamed.

“The pleasure is mine. Which one of my family did you meet?”

“Oh, unfortunately, I've met every one of them, some even more than once”, replied Damon amused. “But Elijah is my favourite since the first time I tried to kill him.”

Freya looked at Elijah, who just rolled his eyes and looked at Damon with a fondness that astounded her.

Rebekah hugged Damon. “Damon, it's nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Rebekah.” Damon returned the hug. “A lot of time has passed.”

“I'm sorry about Elena”, Rebekah said, “we had our difficulties but she never should have died that early.”

“Thank you, Rebekah”, Damon replied in a croaky voice.

Klaus said in the genuine way he sometimes had when he was serious about something. “My condolences too, Damon.”

“Thank you, Klaus." Damon looked down.

Elijah stepped forward to draw attention away from Damon until he regained control of himself again. “Let's get to the reason why I'm here.” He turned to Jimmy and Ava, who had been in the background until now. “This is Jimmy Saint, a friend of Damon.”

Klaus smiled wryly. “Any friend of Damon is welcome in my house.” He held out his hand to Jimmy, who took hold of it and shook it.

“Thank you, sir”, Jimmy replied respectfully.

“Call me Klaus, Jimmy.” Klaus then turned his attention to Ava. “And who are you, sweetheart?” The benevolence with which he had greeted Jimmy was still there but now it was more intimidating than charming.

“Ava O'Malley”, Ava replied brittle; she recognized the threat but refused to be intimidated by it.

“Who is she, Elijah?” Klaus asked his brother.

“She is in a pretty high position by the Bloods. I visited Layla who looked at her and she said that we should let a powerful witch examine her and that her magic should be as dark as possible.” Elijah looked at Freya. “She said there is something wrong with her species and whatever Layla saw, it scared her.”

“Layla?” Klaus eyed Ava curiously. “Very interesting.”

Next stepped Freya and Rebekah forward to introduce themselves to Jimmy. “Hello, I'm Freya, the older sister, welcome to our house.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am.” Jimmy took the hand and shook it.

Freya laughed. “No reason to be so formal, call me Freya.”

“I am Rebekah, the younger sister. It's always a pleasure to meet Damon's friends but they are rarely as polite as you are.”

“I never knew him differently, Rebekah”, Jimmy replied softly and used her first name. She smiled approvingly at him.

“Oh, believe me we knew him otherwise.” Rebekah laughed and held out her hand, which Jimmy grabbed and shook.

“What can I say, I have simply taken Klaus' manners as an example for my behaviour”, Damon said dryly.

Rebekah and Freya snickered while Klaus glared at Damon, Elijah only sighed long-sufferingly. 

Both sisters then studied Ava thoroughly but did not speak to her.

“Now that the general introduction has ended, let’s go back to the question that I am really interested in. Why is Damon here?” Klaus put the conversation back on track.

“It looks like the Bloods have set up a laboratory in New Orleans where they experiment on Damon's son”, explained Elijah grimly.

The Mikealson siblings except Elijah lifted their heads simultaneously, looking first at Damon and then with growing anger in their eyes at Ava.

“How old is he?” Rebekah asked furious, since she had cared for Hope as an infant she took it personally when someone assaulted or abused children.

“Desmond is 11 years old and they have him since 4 months”, Damon replied desperately.

“Wait a minute! Is this the boy Calix Niklos talked about in his TV appearance?” Klaus interrupted thoughtfully.

“Yes that is my son.”

“How come I didn't know you had a child?” Rebekah asked nosily.

“I still have many supernatural enemies”, Damon replied. “Bon-Bon helped me by hiding him from prying eyes but none of us ever predicted anything like the Bloods.” He shrugged.

“Yes, it came to all of us as a surprise.” Klaus was still looking at Ava and there was nothing friendly in his eyes anymore.

“I beg you, Klaus, help me rescue my son”, asked Damon desperately.

“I will help you! I think I owe you a favour or two and I always pay my debts”, Klaus replied immediately. “I promise.”

“Thank you, Klaus”, said Damon heartfelt. He was pleasantly surprised that Klaus agreed so quickly and without him having to beg longer. 20 years ago, it would have been different; Klaus had really changed a lot since he became a father.

“We were having breakfast when they informed us of your arrival. Please join us”, invited Freya kindly.

“I will make sure that Ava is properly accommodated and then I will join you again. Damon, you will tell me everything you know!” Klaus looked at Ava again. “And then we'll have an extensively chat with each other.”

Ava shivered. Where Elijah had been uncaring but level-headed with her, compelling her but not physically mistreating her, she had the sure feeling that Klaus would be the exact opposite. He would first hurt her and enjoy it and only then would he compel her to tell the truth. She was beginning to understand what Swann had meant with his warnings about Klaus.

Freya, Rebekah, Elijah, Damon and Jimmy went upstairs while Klaus stayed behind with Ava. He grabbed her arm and dragged her down to the basement, where he locked her in one of the cells.

“Now think carefully how you can make yourself useful to me so that you may survive your stay here. Little warning, I'm not as merciful and self-controlled as Elijah.” Klaus smirked before he locked the cell. He was still hungry and wanted to finish his breakfast. 

Maybe there was even an opportunity to annoy Damon a little. Just because he promised to help him didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun with him. It wasn't like Damon was a helpless person who was intimidated by him or didn't give back as good as he got.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did finish the second season and I know a few spoilers from later seasons but a few things happened in this universe differently.
> 
> I am simply having fun with this story and this crossover.

Damon and Jimmy were hungry after the long drive and ate heartily while waiting for Klaus’ return.

Elijah and his two sisters enjoyed sitting together and talking with each other after months of separation. When Klaus got back and sat next to his brother, there was at first a certain uneasiness between him and Elijah but the more both talked, the faster the awkwardness disappeared and soon it was as if the two brothers had never separated.

After Damon and Jimmy satiated their first hunger, they took part in the chat until Klaus brought the conversation back to the subject of the Bloods.

Damon and Jimmy took their turns as they reported lengthily what happened to them and which information they had gained in the last year.

Klaus listened closely. So far, he had like everyone else received his information from the news and he was really too old to assume even for a second that that, what the news reported was true or complete. “Do you know where the lab is?”

Now Elijah spoke, who had already asked Ava a few questions while driving. “It's in the warehouse district by the harbour, near the container area. She couldn't tell me anything about the number of Bloods in the building or the floor plan. We would go in completely blind.” Then he gave Klaus the address.

Klaus stared down on the table, then he took out his cell phone, dialled a number and turned the speaker on so everyone in the room could follow the conversation. “Josh, it's me. I want the coming and going at the following address monitored. Make pictures, every information is important.” He gave the address. “The monitoring has to be subtle, so our attack will be a surprise.  
We will fight against an unknown number of Bloods who have set up a laboratory there and the terrain is completely unknown to us. The objective of the mission is the rescue of a valuable hostage, an 11-year-old boy. Should any of the lookouts during the surveillance notice that the child leaves the complex, he must be rescued and brought to me unharmed.”

“Understood. Do you have a photo of the child in question?” Josh asked business-like.

Klaus glanced at Damon. “Do you have a photo of your son on your phone?” Damon nodded. “Josh, I will send you a picture as soon as possible. Then start pulling together all the vampires not needed for guarding the city limits or other important jobs. The attack will take place in the next 12 - 24 hours. Once you have the vampires gathered, let me know! I will come and share the attack plan.”

“OK. Is there anything else?”

Klaus looked at Elijah. “Tell everyone involved and make it explicitly clear that the boy is to be protected under all circumstances and brought to me unharmed. Anyone who bends even a hair on the boy’s head or allows something to happen to him when he could have prevented it, will first answer to me and then to Elijah. You remember how he gets when someone makes him break his word?”

“Understood, I'll pass it on to everyone.” This time Josh’s voice sounded apprehensive.

Klaus grinned and hung up. The New Orleans vampires might fear him for his temper and brutality when provoked but they feared Elijah a lot more when he decided to get personally interested in something.

*****

Josh looked thoughtfully at the phone. That had been unusual and every time the Originals reacted uncharacteristically it was a cause for concern.

Josh knew that Elijah was back in New Orleans, accompanied by two men and a female Blood. Josh wasn’t against the attack on the Bloods, he didn't like them either, nor was he particularly concerned that they would go blind in the battle.

What confused and worried him was the hint that anyone who screwed with the safety of the kid would first answer to Klaus and then to Elijah. Normally everyone who aroused Klaus's displeasure was dead. 

Klaus stepping back and giving Elijah the last decision? That meant, he firstly wanted to please Elijah and secondly, that Elijah had a personal interest in the child. In addition, the warning that Elijah had given his word to whoever the Originals rescued the child for, didn’t bode well for anyone who messed up this operation.

Josh shuddered as he imagined Elijah's response when someone disappointed him in this case. Klaus' outbursts of anger could be terrible enough but Elijah's calm viciousness when he took his revenge on someone was far more terrifying.

Josh started executing Klaus’s orders and passed the warning on. The reaction of each vampire who had encountered Elijah was in every case the same; they all understood the implications of Elijah’s involvement. The vampires who knew Elijah would without doubt tell the rest. Whether these would take the warning seriously was another matter, of course. Well, they would when they messed up.

After Josh had made all necessary calls, he pulled out another phone and stared at it reluctantly. Finally, he sighed, he had no choice; Marcel had compelled him to pass on any information concerning the Originals. Josh dialled the only number that was stored on this cell phone.

Marcel answered. “What is it, Josh?”

Josh reported the happenings of the past few hours.

“This is not good.” Marcel was also worried. “The Bloods must have done something really bad or stupid to enrage both Klaus and Elijah so deeply. And as soon these two decide they have a common enemy and work together...”

“Then I can only pity the Bloods, they don’t know what will hit them”, Josh added dryly. “You know that every vampire, werewolf and witch will join and follow the Originals when they declare war on the Bloods?”

“Yes, I know”, Marcel replied shortly and thought about it feverishly. “I'm coming to New Orleans. Make sure I get unhindered through the guards without Klaus knowing about it!”

“Do you think that's wise? Klaus will find out about this and will know that only I can have called and helped you.”

“Sorry but it can't be changed”, Marcel said absentminded and hung up.

Josh growled angrily, Marcel had become a bigger asshole since receiving his upgrade than Klaus and the other Originals put together. At least they had never pretended to be something they weren't. They had made it clear since the beginning that their loyalty was only to each other and to those they considered family.

Marcel on the other hand first pretended to be your friend, made you bleed and die for him and then he forgot you when it became inopportune for him to stand by you or he feared to lose his face, just like with Thierry. He had been so blind in the beginning because of his and Davina’s hate for Klaus. Everything in him rebelled against following Marcel’s orders now but he had no choice.

*****

“I need your number”, said Damon who had already searched for and found a current photo on his cell phone.

Klaus gave him the number and got up. “I will go downstairs and interrogate Ava.”

“Remember that she is still alive and not undead”, Elijah said calmly. “We don't know what happens with Bloods when we give them our blood.”

“No worry, Elijah”, Klaus assured his brother.

Damon yawned. “Sorry for this.”

“It was a long drive. You and Jimmy should lie down and sleep so that you are rested when we make our attack plan”, Elijah suggested.

“Good idea”, Damon agreed and Jimmy nodded, he was exhausted too.

Freya got up. “Let me take you to your rooms so you can sleep.” Damon and Jimmy followed her.

“I will also go to my room to freshen up.” Elijah stood up and put the napkin on the table with which he had dabbed his mouth.

“It's good that you're back, Elijah”, said Klaus hesitantly.

“I am glad too, Klaus.” Elijah left the table.

Klaus stared at the table. Elijah hadn't quite forgiven him yet but at least they were back on talking terms. He got up and rubbed his hands, he had to question a Blood.

*****

Elijah came out of the shower half-naked. Nothing had changed in his room during his absence, although he had noticed that a few objects were no longer in the place where he had put them. One of his siblings had been in his room and he guessed it was Klaus, who could be amazingly sentimental if he messed up.

He glanced at his cell phone and saw a missed call. He frowned because he didn't recognize the number but then he shrugged and dialled it.

“Elijah, thanks for your quick call back”, he heard a woman's breathless voice. “I will put you on speaker.”

“Caroline?” Elijah asked perplexed. “Is that you?”

“Oh yes, sorry. Yes, this is Caroline, and Bonnie and Alaric are with me too.”

“Did anything happen to Hope?” Elijah's voice was sharp.

“No, everything is fine with Hope. It's about Damon, we have a clue where he is. A small group of hunters have arrived in Mystic Falls, clearly sent by Damon. According to Hope, you're in the area where he was last seen.”

Elijah raised an eyebrow. He had spoken to Hope a few days ago and had told her where he was but he was still a little annoyed that his niece had shared this information. “Give my greetings to Hope and tell her we will talk about this the next time we see each other.”

“I'm sure she won't enjoy this conversation”, Alaric said dryly.

“I don’t think so either”, Elijah agreed.

“Damon could be in trouble. Would you be willing to search for him?” Bonnie asked impatiently.

“That is unnecessary, Miss Bennett, I'm the contact Damon wanted to meet. And you are right, he was in trouble but I could already save him. Tell his people that both he and Jimmy are safe now.”

“Thank God”, said Bonnie relieved. “Where is he?”

“In New Orleans.”

“Is Damon your prisoner?” Bonnie asked menacing.

“Of course not”, replied Elijah offended. “Damon is in New Orleans on his own free will and he asked for my help, which I already granted and gave him my word on. Bloods are holding Desmond captive and we are planning to free him.”

At first there was silence on the line, then Alaric asked mistrustful. “Who is we? And who is Desmond?”

Huh, interesting, so Bonnie had even her friends never told about Damon’s son. Elijah smiled mischievously; he could imagine the reactions his answers would cause. “Klaus and myself.”

“Klaus?” Caroline asked suspiciously.

“He promised Damon to help him, just like I gave Damon my word that we will save his son.”

The line was deadly still at first but then heard Elijah Caroline’s and Alaric’s frantic muttering to each other in the background.

“And what will happen to them after you and your brother rescue Desmond?” asked Bonnie calmly.

“My brother is still a dick but he is not the monster any longer, you met all these years ago. Nowadays he would not murder or harm an 11-year-old child without good reason. Not that there is a good reason to do something like this. And especially not when he knows that he would have to face yours and Caroline’s wrath”, said Elijah quite dryly.

“A moment, please”, interrupted Alaric angrily. “Desmond is Damon’s son and you knew about him but never told us, Bonnie?”

“I have a nephew and you never told me?” Caroline asked equally outraged.

“It seems, your friends want a few answers from you”, Elijah said smirking.

“Yeah, thanks for that, Elijah”, Bonnie replied irritated. 

“You’re welcome, Miss Bennett.” Elijah was sure that Bonnie heard the smirk in his voice.

“I’m coming to New Orleans.” Bonnie hung up.

Still smirking put Elijah the phone down. He would bet that Bonnie would not be the only one from Mystic Falls to come to New Orleans. The next few weeks would certainly be very interesting, for all of them.

After putting on a new suit, Elijah went into the basement to keep Klaus company and to update him on their new guests. To his surprise Ava didn't look the slightest bit hurt, apparently Klaus really was holding himself back.

“Ah, brother, there you are. Ava is very cooperative; I didn't even have to compel her.”

“Very rational of her. I have news for you. Miss Bennett is on her way to New Orleans and I doubt she will come alone.” Elijah grinned in amusement. “Apparently, she hasn't even told her friends that Desmond exists. She has a lot to explain right now.”

Klaus started to grin nastily. “That means they will be here tomorrow.”

“Do you want to wait for them so that they can help us with Desmond’s rescue?” Elijah asked curiously.

“No, I want them to be helpful and accommodating and is there a better way to do it than to present father and son together, healthy and happy?”

“What are you planning, brother?”

“You know we will have to go to war with the Bloods sooner or later?”

Elijah looked at Ava pitilessly. “Yes I know.”

“Bonnie is a very powerful witch and if I can convince her to join our war, many witches will follow her example.”

Elijah grimaced. “I hope you are aware that no one from Mystic Falls will ever trust you?”

“Of course but they know that they can trust you. You will always be their favourite. Apart from that, I do not intend to double-cross them, after all, Hope lives with them and she is happy in Mystic Falls.”

“How reassuring! Are you calling Josh so that he can ensure their safe arrival?”

Klaus looked thoughtfully at the floor. “No. Call Bonnie and tell her to use guard station 3 when she arrives in New Orleans. I will speak personally to the vampire on watch that he will let them through and take them to the compound.”

“Is there a problem with Josh?”

“No, not directly. Josh’s loyalty is at the moment split in two, with no fault of his own. Kind of ironic when you think about it, after all it was me, who first compelled and used him as a spy all these years ago.”

“Marcel?” Elijah asked without any particular surprise.

“Marcel. I am convinced that Josh has already informed him and told him everything. I assume Marcel is on his way to New Orleans.” Klaus smiled wickedly. Did Marcel really thought he wouldn't find out?

“You know that even together we don't stand a chance against him?”

“Freya has not been idle in recent years. The only thing she still needs now to perform this spell is a very powerful witch. Davina is not powerful enough and she wouldn't help us anyway if it goes against Marcel.”

“Bonnie Bennett. Will the spell kill Marcel?” Elijah looked neutral when he asked the question but he was worried about his brother, he knew that Klaus still loved Marcel like a son.

“No, it will just take his extra abilities and makes him a normal vampire again”, replied Klaus.

“Good.” Elijah was relieved. “How will you get Bonnie to help you? She is not your biggest fan. And don’t get me started on Alaric.” 

Klaus winced slightly at the mention of Alaric before he answered, “I don't have to do anything, Marcel will do it all by himself.”

“Damon.” Elijah knew only too well how his brother’s thought processes worked. “These two will clash and Bonnie will do anything to protect her old friend.”

“Once he knows who Damon is, he will try to frighten him or use him for his own purposes.” Klaus smirked at the thought.

“And we both know how peacefully Damon usually responds to such methods.” Elijah winced as he remembered some of Damon's reactions. “A person changes only so much after all. I think Damon's origins and personal history will provide additional conflict.”

“Yes.” Klaus looked at his brother. “I'll not get involved when they start to argue. You have to play the intermediary between Damon and Marcel and what is more important you have to protect Damon.”

Elijah smiled grimly. “It will be my pleasure.”

The two brothers smiled understandingly and Ava just shuddered. By themselves, each of the two brothers were terrifying enough with Klaus’ wicked smirk and Elijah’s chilling half smile.   
However, watching them standing here, blindly understanding each other and plotting to beat one of their enemies without much talking, was absolutely bloodcurdling.


	6. Chapter 6

Elijah left Klaus to his interrogation and went back to his room. He sent Bonnie the message Klaus had requested then he went to bed to sleep for a few hours. As soon as Marcel and the Mystic Falls Gang reached New Orleans, it would be the last quiet hours he would get for quite some time.

Klaus continued to question Ava and then compelled her to check for the truth in her words. He was pleased to find out that Ava had been smart enough not to lie to him. He gave her two blood bags as a reward. After all, she had to stay strong; there was still a lot he wanted to find out from her.

Whistling to himself, he left the basement to contact the vampire at the checkpoint to ensure the safe arrival of Caroline, Bonnie and Alaric. He was looking forward to seeing Caroline again. He wondered if she still mourned Stefan. Klaus sighed; he still missed his friend, too.

When he entered the courtyard, Josh was waiting for him. “Josh”, he greeted him jovially. “What can you tell me?”

“I have 20 vampires who can participate in the attack. I told them your orders.”

“Good. I trust there were no questions or uncertainties?”

“No, every one of them knows what is at stake.”

“Elijah, Rebekah and Freya will also join the assault. Choose two vampires who will watch over Freya while she is using her magic.”

“Understood, Klaus.” Josh raised his eyebrows inwardly, all four Originals being part of the attack was remarkable and rare, it reminded him of the bad old days. “Forgive me for asking, Klaus, but what is so important about the boy?”

Klaus looked at Josh with amusement. “You will find out soon enough. Stay here; you will help us with the attack plan.” Then he turned around and whistled cheerful as he went up the stairs.

Josh anxiously watched Klaus go, suddenly feeling quite uneasy. He sighed and went to the kitchen; he so craved solid food. Whatever Klaus was up to or planned to do with him, it was too late to escape him anyway.

When he entered the kitchen, two black-haired men were sitting at the kitchen table eating sandwiches, several of which were still on a plate between them. In front of both stood a cup of coffee, which they drank with relish.

Josh also got a coffee and sat down. “Hmm, sandwiches. Can I have one too?”

“Sure, help yourself. I'm Damon, that's Jimmy”, the man with the ice-blue eyes introduced them.

“I am Josh.” Josh reached for the sandwich and bit hungrily into it.

Damon eyed him amused. “You are pretty young for a vampire, right? How old are you, 20, 25 years?”

Josh startled briefly then raised his head in amazement. “You know what I am? And how do you know that?”

“I am guest in the house of an Original. Yes, I know what you are. I guessed your age because older vampires only eat for pleasure but you still eat as if you think solid food is your only source of nourishment.”

“You sound like an expert on vampires. Are you a hunter?”

Damon laughed a little strange. “Only if it goes against Bloods. It is a long time since I even met vampires. It was really a surprise to meet Elijah.”

Josh was secretly relieved, so this were the men, who had come with Elijah. Probably it was one of them, who had asked Klaus to save the child. “Is one of you the father of the child?”

“Yes, Desmond is my son”, Damon answered seriously.

“I'm sorry, it must be hard for you.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your sympathy.”

Josh raised his head as he heard footsteps. Damon noticed it and turned to the door when Rebekah and Freya came in.

Rebekah stopped briefly next to Damon and kissed him on the cheek. “You already look a lot more rested.”

“Thank you, Rebekah. It's always amazing what a few hours of sleep can do if you know you're safe.” Damon smiled wistfully.

“Yes, out there you always sleep with one eye open”, Jimmy agreed.

Josh wondered inwardly what kind of person Damon had to be to feel safe in the house of an Original. Damon apparently knew exactly with whom he was dealing with. If he felt safe among Originals, how bad was it really out there?

However, whoever Damon may be, he was not a stranger Elijah happened to meet by chance and bring to New Orleans. He knew the Originals from before, which was already proven through Rebekah’s behaviour; she wouldn't kiss everyone. Did Marcel perhaps know who Damon was?

Rebekah and Freya got themselves a coffee too and sat down at the table, where Freya also took one sandwiches. Then they started chatting with Josh and Damon. Jimmy listened captivated, always interested in any new knowledge that would help him to survive in this for him strange new world.

Next, Elijah entered the kitchen, this time Josh didn’t notice his arrival beforehand. He stopped next to each of his sisters and kissed them on the cheek.

“I just hope you don't give me a kiss too, Elijah”, Damon said cheekily.

Josh, who had just bitten off a piece of his sandwich, choked on it and started to cough. Rebekah patted him helpfully on the back but did it so hard that Josh almost got pounded through the table.

“You don’t need to worry, Damon, your virtue is absolutely safe from me”, replied Elijah impassive, who knew worse impertinence from Damon and just ignored it nowadays.

Josh looked at Elijah in disbelief. It was the closest thing to a joke he'd ever heard from Elijah. 

“Good to know.” Damon grinned at Elijah.

Elijah also got coffee and sat down at the table, than he looked pointedly at Damon and grabbed himself a sandwich.

Damon took a sip coffee to hide his grin.

Yep, Josh decided, Damon definitely knew the Originals from before; otherwise Elijah would not have been so easy-going and unusual lenient towards Damon’s rudeness. However, he never could have imagined before that anyone treating Elijah like this survived it.

Finally, Klaus came through the kitchen door. He had arranged Caroline’s, Bonnie’s and Alaric’s safe passage and was pleased with himself. “I see you all have made yourself comfortable for a longer meeting.”

“Do you want to eat one of my sandwiches too?” Damon asked with false curiosity.

“They are more like my sandwiches because you made them from the contents of my fridge”, Klaus replied as deadpan and unbothered as Elijah.

Josh was only glad that just now he hadn't eaten or drunk anything. At this moment, he really felt like he had ended up in the Twilight Zone.

Klaus got himself coffee and then sat at the top of the table. “Then let's start making an attack plan. Since we do not know how many Bloods will be there or what the outline of the building is, we will ignore these factors. Ava was unable to provide me with this information.”

“Who is Ava?” Josh asked curiously.

“The blood I brought with me”, answered Elijah.

“Yes, she may not know anything about the facility but she knows a lot other things regarding the Bloods that will be of great use to me later”, Klaus said satisfied.

“Then we should start with our goals and how we can achieve them”, Damon said softly.

Klaus nodded in agreement. “First goal, how do we get into the facility?”

“If we only use brutal force”, Elijah looked at his brother, “the child will be dead before we can reach him.”

“What kind of defeats the reason of our attack”, Damon added.

“So we have to get to the child before we attack”, Klaus said calmly. “Who would the Bloods let in without a fight?”

“Only I can do that”, Damon said determined. “Ava said that Niklos wants me back. If I stand in front of the door and reveal myself to the Bloods, they will let me in.”

“But you alone cannot protect your son when we attack”, Klaus protested heatedly. “Which brings us to our second goal.”

“How do we ensure that Desmond and Damon are protected when the attack occurs?” said Elijah calmly.

“One of the Originals should accompany Damon?” Josh said half questioningly.

“Very good, Josh”, said Klaus patronizingly.

“Don't be such an ass, Klaus”, said Damon disapprovingly, “he contributed a good idea. You're just mad that you weren’t the one to suggest it.”

Klaus eyed Damon with narrowed eyes. “Why do I let you live again?”

“Because you would miss something if I didn’t antagonise you”, Damon grinned.

Klaus growled at Damon but didn't bother to argue with him.

Josh hid his face behind the coffee cup.

Rebekah decided to take pity on Josh. “So who of us accompanies Damon?”

“I'll go with him”, said Klaus firmly.

“Not a good idea, brother”, Elijah said equally as firmly. “Even if the Bloods don't know about vampires, you're a well-known and prominent person in New Orleans; they will know who you are.”

“And that would arouse their mistrust or at least make them wonder”, Freya agreed, who was now joining the discussion for the first time.

“One question, what do the Bloods actually know about New Orleans and vampires?” Damon asked musing.

“Ava has clearly never heard of us or knew that we existed”, Klaus replied and Elijah nodded in agreement. “As far as I can tell, the Bloods only know that when they enter certain areas of New Orleans, they don't come back, at least not alive. It worries them but they blame it on human hunters.”

“Apart from that, if Klaus accompanies Damon, it is very unlikely that they will get to Desmond without incident. Let's be frank, Klaus isn't exactly known for his patience, and from what I've heard, Bloods aren't exactly known for their restraint”, Rebekah said, grinning impishly at her brother. “It is quite possible that whoever accompanies Damon will not be treated with kindness. How long would you be willing to tolerate such treatment, Klaus?”

“Not long”, Damon and Elijah said unanimously.

At first, Klaus glared at Elijah and Damon before deciding to take out his displeasure on Rebekah. “However, this means you are out of question too, sister. They may not treat you as harsh as me because you are female but your temperament was always far worse than mine. You wouldn't tolerate their behaviour for long either.”

Rebekah growled at her brother.

“Since when exists this laboratory?” Freya asked, trying to avert the impending argument between the siblings.

“As far as I can tell, it was set up 4 months ago”, Josh answered, who was relieved that he had checked that.

“Which means that no Blood knows who I am, at least nobody who is still alive or not our prisoner”, Elijah said coldly. “Not to mention that apart from Freya, I am the only one in this family who has something like self-discipline or the patience to wait for the right moment before he takes his revenge.”

Now Rebekah and Klaus growled both at Elijah but as usual, they couldn't argue with their big brother, when he used his annoying unfailing logic.

“And no Blood will ever see you as a threat in your expensive suits”, said Klaus sullen, for it was impossible for him not to have the last word in an argument.

“That too”, Elijah agreed with his brother.

Josh hid his face behind the coffee cup again. He had always preferred to drink tea but now he would drink coffee forever if it only meant that no one involved him in this argument.

“Okay, so Elijah will accompany me.” Damon was secretly relieved. “Let us assume, everything goes smoothly and they let us see Desmond. How can we let you know?”

The group stayed silent for a while and thought about it.

“How about a bewitched item triggered by Elijah”, Freya suggested.

“A good idea but it must be an object that is harmless and inconspicuous, otherwise they will take it away from you”, Jimmy pointed out.

“How about money coins?” Elijah said smiling.

Klaus snickered. “I wouldn't necessarily call coins in your hands harmless, brother.”

“But they don't know that”, Elijah replied smirking. “Damon should also get a coin in case we get separated.”

“So you want a coin that tells you that Damon is with Desmond if you get separated”, Freya said thoughtfully.

“And if possible that the coin can me lead to him should it be necessary. That way I could fight my way to Damon faster and easier.”

“Sure, this is possible.” Freya looked thoughtful, already planning which spell she could use for it.

“It could be our other signal for the attack, because we would definitely hear the fighting noise”, Klaus agreed. “Our attack will also distract the Bloods and would help Elijah with reaching Damon.”

“As soon as Elijah is with me and my son, we are as safe as we can be because no Blood will get past him.” Damon grinned at Elijah.

“Fine, but that's only the plan in case the Bloods let you see your son, Damon. What do we do if they refuse to?” Rebekah asked worriedly.

“You could compel them?” Jimmy suggested, remembering how Elijah had dealt with Ava.

“One possibility but there are certain risks if someone notices”, Klaus said frowning. “There are simply too many uncertainties for which we cannot plan.”

“We will simply play it by ear then, as usual.” Elijah smiled grimly.

“We shouldn't forget that it is possible that only Elijah is brought to Desmond”, Rebekah said.

“Winning the trust of a scared child when the father is not with me is near to impossible”, Elijah said softly.

“Is there something, Damon, which Elijah could take with him or say to Desmond that would show Desmond that he is your friend?” Josh asked practically.

Damon's face brightened. “There is a family joke.” He told it to Elijah.

“Easy to remember. But what will happen to you when we get separated? What should I do then?”

“Oh that's easy!” Damon looked at Elijah intently. “When you have to make a choice between me or my son, you will save my son. I want your word on it, Elijah.”

“And what will we tell your friends in Mystic Falls? They will believe that we murdered you”, said Rebekah, not at all happy about Damon’s request.

“That it was my wish. Alaric is a father himself, he will understand. What would you do, Klaus, if it were your daughter?”

Klaus didn't answer the question, he looked at Elijah instead. The two brothers had a silent conversation with each other. They had been both ready to die for Hope. It was pure luck that Freya had found just in time a way to defeat the Hollow and that their death had so become unnecessary.

Elijah sighed before looking Damon in the eye. “I give you my word that if there is a choice to make between you or your son, I will save your son.”

The relief in Damon's eyes told Elijah that it was the right decision. He remembered then that he hadn't gotten around to telling Damon and Jimmy that their men had reached Mystic Falls and were now safe, and to Damon that Bonnie was on her way to New Orleans. 

Elijah looked forward to seeing Damon's face, when he heard that Alaric and Caroline now knew about Desmond and that they would definitely not let Bonnie drive alone to meet him here.

However, before he could tell Damon, Klaus’ phone laying on the table in front of him vibrated. 

Klaus looked at the incoming message and grinned slyly. “I think that is it for now. As Elijah said, the rest of it we play by ear, as usual.”

Elijah involuntarily tensed up; this must mean that Marcel had arrived. He looked at Damon tellingly and made an unobtrusive head movement towards Jimmy before looking at the door. He was pleased to see that Damon straightened up and seemed suddenly very vigilant.

Damon put a hand on Jimmy’s thigh under the table and squeezed twice, which was a previously agreed signal that there would be a sign language conversation between them. When Jimmy looked inconspicuously down, Damon made the signs for ‘danger’ and ‘follow me’ although this time it was more a signal to follow Damon's actions. Jimmy returned the squeeze twice too as message that he understood.

Elijah watched satisfied how Jimmy prepared himself too. He hadn’t seen how Damon had alerted Jimmy and smiled inwardly; Damon had always been one of their wiliest opponents. Elijah felt a tingling on the back of the neck, telling him that someone watched them secretly. He looked at Klaus who nodded as a sign that he felt it too.

“Why don't you join us, Marcel?” Klaus asked with false friendliness. “You have a long journey behind you. Would you like to have coffee and sandwiches as refreshments?”

Rebekah and Freya stared perplexed at Klaus, Josh looked anxious, while Elijah, Damon and Jimmy showed no noticeable reaction.

As Marcel entered the kitchen, Rebekah got up in surprise. “Marcel, I didn't know you wanted to visit me in New Orleans.” She kissed her husband.

“Hello, Rebekah”, Marcel greeted his wife embarrassed. “It is an unforeseen visit.”

Klaus smirked. “Yes, it is very unplanned from Marcel’s side. You see, Rebekah, Josh contacted Marcel to let him know about our friend's arrival and the planned attack.”

Rebekah narrowed her eyes, becoming increasingly suspicious. “Why would Josh do that?”

“Oh, Marcel compelled him to keep an eye on us and spy for him”, explained Klaus cheerfully.

“Well, you did the same thing”, Marcel said angrily at the way Klaus exposed him to everyone.

“But I never pretended to be his friend. Josh always knew that he was only a means to an end for me.” Klaus looked at Josh. “I've always been honest with him in every way.”

Josh looked apprehensive at Klaus. “Are you going to kill me now?”

“No, I am aware that you didn’t do it on your own free will. But don't get me wrong, should you ever betray me intentionally...” Klaus didn't have to finish the sentence.

“Don't worry, I have no intention to betray you willingly. Do you want me to leave New Orleans?” asked Josh, knowing too well that only few years ago Klaus would have killed him for his unintentional betrayal.

“No, you can stay in New Orleans, Josh.” Klaus leaned back in his seat and eyed Marcel with satisfaction. “Don't you want to sit down, Marcel?”

Marcel knew that he had lost this round to Klaus and sat grumpily down before he concentrated on the two strangers at the table. “I’m Marcel Gerard.”

Before Damon could introduce himself, Elijah interfered. “Why don't we go to your room? I want to tell you a few things you need to know. For your information, Marcel is Rebekah's husband.” Elijah smiled innocently at Marcel. “After all, we don't want to intrude on their reunion under these special circumstances.”

Damon looked at Rebakah, who now looked very angry with her husband. “I'm already curious.” He nudged Jimmy. “Let's go.” 

Jimmy nodded willingly. He didn’t comprehend what was going on right now but he felt it was a very bad idea to remain in the kitchen.

Elijah got up and left the kitchen while the two humans followed him.

The last thing everyone in the kitchen heard was Damon's voice as he talked to Jimmy. “A little tip, never get involved in a Mikaelson family dispute, it always ends ugly for you.”

Rebekah and Klaus strained to avoid eye contact with each other at Damon’s words while Freya grinned amused, Josh looked uncomfortable, and Marcel was furious that Elijah had prevented him from learning more about the strangers.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter could take a few weeks. I bought a new laptop because my old one is giving up. I will get it next week, hopefully, and it may take me a couple of weeks to set it up to my liking and to get used to it.

Damon waited until they were back in his room and Elijah had turned on the radio, before he asked quietly, “That was a little weird, what was it about?”

Elijah sighed. “It's a long story.” Then he explained to them who Marcel was and the reason for his strained relationship with the Original family or more exactly with Klaus, Elijah and Freya.

“Wow, so he's more powerful than you.” Damon pondered anxiously how Marcel’s presence could hinder Desmond’s rescue.

“Unfortunately, for now at least.” Elijah smirked.

“Let me guess, Klaus already has a scheme how to take away Marcel’s extra abilities?”

“What gave you this idea?” Elijah asked innocently.

“Because I know Klaus and his strategies. He obviously wanted to bait Marcel and he wouldn’t have done that if he hadn’t a plan to take him down. Besides, I have complete confidence in Klaus's underhandedness and his ability to come out on top.” Damon smiled slightly. “Did you actually have news for us or wanted you us simply out of the line of fire?”

“I have even good news. Your men arrived in Mystic Falls and they are now safe within the city limits. I suspect they feel a little confused.” Elijah felt with Damon's men, Mystic Falls took a lot getting used to, to say the least.

Damon and Jimmy were both relieved that their men were safe.

“Good, one thing less to worry about”, Damon said. “Is there something else?”

“I had a call from Bonnie, Caroline and Alaric. They asked me to find and save you. I explained to them that I had already rescued you and that you are now with us in New Orleans.” Elijah looked slightly offended. “Their first question was whether you are my prisoner.”

“Not an unreasonable question.” Damon's corners of the mouth twitched.

“Perhaps.” Elijah shrugged. “In any case, I said that you are in New Orleans voluntarily and that you asked Klaus and me for help with Desmond’s rescue.”

Damon now looked apprehensive. “I suspect that raised some questions.”

Elijah was grinning openly now. “You can say that. It seemed Bonnie was the only one who knew you had a son. Alaric and Caroline sounded slightly upset about this.”

Damon swallowed visibly and looked a little panicked, as Elijah noted with amusement.

“The last thing Bonnie said to me was that she was coming to New Orleans. I strongly doubt she will travel alone.”

“Oh damn it.” Damon paced back and forth. “Let me speculate, you told them that Desmond is my son?”

“They asked who Desmond was. How could I lie to them?”

“Since when have you trouble lying to someone?” Damon grumbled.

“It was only a matter of time, Damon, until they discovered your secret.” Elijah was serious now. “Where do you want to go after we save your son? You need a place that is safe for him and where no Blood can reach him.”

“Mystic Falls.” Damon now looked thoughtful.

“Mystic Falls”, Elijah agreed. “There he could go to school again; Alaric is after all the headmaster of a school where lots of children with special gifts live. And you, you could finally go home.”

Damon looked a little wistful. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he missed Mystic Falls. “Maybe you are right.”

Jimmy had listened patiently to the exchange but now he wanted to satisfy his curiosity. “You told me that Alaric, Bonnie and Caroline are your friends. Why did only one of them know about Desmond?”

“What they don't know can’t harm them or me. After Elena’s death, I wanted to start anew and went into hiding. I only had sometimes telephone contact with Bonnie.” Damon shrugged. “She doesn't like it particularly if I don't keep in touch with her.  
After Desmond was born, I had an unfortunate encounter with a witch who knew me from before. She recognized me, saw me with Desmond and spread a rumour where to find me.” Damon looked furious at the memory.   
“Fortunately, Bonnie heard it too and came to my aid. She killed the witch and two vampires who had already found me through the rumour. At my request, she put a spell on Desmond and me, which made it impossible for everyone to track us down with magic. I changed towns with my family and for the next 10 years I saw not one vampire, werewolf or witch.”

“And Bonnie really agreed to keep this a secret from Caroline?” Elijah was truly amazed.

“She wasn't exactly thrilled but she understood my motives. I wanted to wait until Desmond was a little older, then we would have gone back to Mystic Falls.” Damon looked pained. “It is not exactly easy to explain to your son that you used to be a monster.”

“Understandable”, said Jimmy sympathetically.

“Now that I have answered your questions, Elijah, please explain to me how I am involved in Klaus’ scheme to turn Marcel back into a normal vampire?”

Elijah repeated everything Klaus had told him.

“Even I'm not crazy enough to mess with such a powerful vampire”, Damon said angrily. “Well, not anymore at least”, amended Damon than reluctantly. 

“We would never ask that of you”, Elijah reassured him.

“But you think it will happen anyway.”

“Marcel's power has gone a little to his head; not, that we were different at this stage in our development. Once he learns who you are, he'll think about ways to use you for his purposes.”

“As you try to do”, Damon replied slightly sardonically.

“You are right of course”, Elijah agreed. “However, we know you; we know how far we can push you and what violent reactions it can evoke. But Marcel will assume that he can intimidate you and that you will do his bidding without resistance or difficulties.” 

Damon scoffed contemptuously at that.

“He will underestimate you because for him you are just an ordinary human.” Elijah winced at this thought. “We on the other hand know better. You have on one occasion or another outmanoeuvred every one of us, which is quite an accomplishment.”

“What kind of violent reactions are we talking about?” asked Jimmy fascinated.

“I had a reputation for doing crazy and impulsive things when someone tried to intimidate or coerce me into doing something I didn’t want to do”, explained Damon sheepishly to his friend.

“Some of his reactions were spectacular and can be compared to those of my brother's when someone attempts the same thing with him”, Elijah added dryly. “And believe me, my brother is the poster child of overreacting.”

“Hard to imagine you could ever react like that, Damon”, Jimmy said softly.

“Oh, believe me, I have seen it”, replied Elijah amused.

“I say, we simply wait for Marcel to make the first move”, Damon said evenly. “Maybe he leaves me alone after he finds out more about me.”

“Let's hope so.” Elijah sounded sceptically.

*****

“Who is he, Klaus?” Marcel demanded imperiously.

“An old and dear enemy of the family, whom we haven't seen in a long time”, answered Klaus.

“I have never heard or seen you or Elijah treat an enemy like this”, Marcel said sceptically. “I know the manner you treat an enemy, when you want something from him. Moreover, I know from personal experience the way you can pretend to be a friend or an ally until you have what you want and then…” Marcel shrugged.  
“But this isn’t the case here; you both treat him like a real friend. If I didn’t knew better I would say that you treat him almost like one of your brothers and I don’t mean Finn. And Elijah, granted, he always behaves a little peculiar when he gives his word but I recognise it when he feels fondness for someone and enjoys his company and this is here the case.” 

“You are right, he is a special case”, replied Klaus with a shrug and then smirked. “But I believe Kol would be very insulted if he had heard that comparison.”

“Kol knows him?” asked Marcel with a strange expression.

“Yes, they really don’t like each other. Damon threw him once off a balcony and then snapped his neck. Well, Kol certainly deserved it on this occasion.” Klaus chuckled. “I think Kol is still a little miffed about the way Damon killed him in front of everyone. And the sheer boldness with which he confronted the entire Original Family after this, Esther's face was definitely priceless.” Klaus shook his head admiringly.

“Kol deserves it on every occasion”, said Marcel laconic. “But Damon is only a human; he is much too weak to kill Kol in the manner you just described.” Marcel was puzzled. “And his age is also wrong. How can he have met your mother?” 

Klaus grinned. “He knows Michael and Finn too. When I say the entire family, I mean it. An interesting mystery to think about, yes?” He stared adamantly at his adoptive son. “By the way, he and his friend are my guests; you better respect that if you speak with them. And I think it's appropriate to release Josh now from his compulsion to spy for you.”

“Yes, I think so too”, Rebekah agreed with her brother, “otherwise I'll call Davina and tell her what you did to her best friend.”

Marcel knew that Klaus had outmanoeuvred him again and looked Josh in the eye. “I release you from every compulsion I have imposed on you.”

Josh blinked and felt finally free again. “Don't think I feel grateful for this.” Josh glared at Marcel angrily. “If you'll excuse me, Klaus, I'll prepare everything for the attack and let the other vampires know about our plan.”

“Do that, Josh. We start in two hours.” Klaus watched Josh go with satisfaction. It had been a good decision to make him his second-in-command.

“I'll leave you too. I have to prepare for my part in the attack as well”, said Freya standing up.

Klaus looked at Rebekah and the two siblings communicated silently before Rebekah also rose. “I'll keep you company, Freya.”

“Oh, Rebekah, before I forget, I am expecting a few other guests. They will arrive here tomorrow; I think it will be three or four of them. If you could prepare a few rooms, so that they feel welcome?” 

“More old and dear enemies?” Marcel asked mockingly.

Rebekah smiled ironically at her husband. “You could say that.” She had already a definite idea who their guests could be with Damon in New Orleans.

Marcel watched Rebekah leave the kitchen. He knew her too well to think she would tell him anything about the other guests Klaus expected. “Since when do you help your enemies, Klaus?”

“Since when do you find it acceptable when someone harms a child? We are talking about an 11-year-old child and the Bloods have been experimenting on him for the last four months”, Klaus said seemingly unaffected.

“You know that I don’t like it when a child is harmed”, Marcel replied furious at the insinuation that he would condone something like this.

“Then you won't do anything that could affect our plan and prevent the rescue of the child?”

“I won’t interfere, Klaus.” Marcel smiled unkindly at Klaus. “After that, I don’t promise you anything.”

“I don't expect anything else from you, Marcellus.” Klaus returned the smile in the same way. 

“Who else takes part in the attack?

“All of the Originals who are in New Orleans. We as a family owe Damon and his family the one or other kindness.”

Marcel showed no outward reaction to this statement but inside he whistled through his teeth. All of the Originals? Who was this human and why felt Klaus and the other Originals so indebted to him? “So, I know his name is Damon, what is his family name?”

“You don't give up what? But ok, his complete name is Damon Salvatore.”

Marcel frowned. “I have never heard the name.”

Klaus shrugged. “He has an impressive reputation in certain circles. Only be careful when you make your inquiries or you could draw the wrong kind of attention. Start with a witch that is either old or experienced, he or she should also be discrete and not prone to gossip. I tend to become very irritated when someone who is under my protection gets attacked.” Klaus smirked and stood up; he was finished with this conservation. “Or I will simply let Elijah deal with them.”

Marcel, now all alone in the kitchen, planned his next steps. He wanted to be part of the attack, if only to make sure that nothing happened to Rebekah. Bloods weren't a threat to Originals but he wanted to be sure.

What witch did he know in New Orleans who knew a lot, would talk to him and met Klaus’s criteria? He knew how Klaus dealt with someone who defied him when he gave such a clear warning.

If he lured someone with his inquiries to New Orleans, who posed a threat to Damon, they would not be the only ones who would pay for it. Marcel doubted not a second that Klaus would find a way to make him pay too. Even if Klaus no longer had the might to defeat him in a fair fight, it didn’t mean that Marcel was safe from his revenge. After all, when did Klaus ever fight fairly?

*****

An hour later, Elijah knocked on Damon's door. “It is time.”

Damon opened the door. “What about Jimmy?”

“He stays at the compound. A bunch of vampires, pumped up from a fight and a human without visible protection, not a good combination.” Elijah looked at Jimmy. “Very few will dare to enter this compound without our permission or invitation.”

“And if my friends come earlier than expected, it wouldn't be bad if someone is here”, intervened Damon soothingly.

Jimmy didn't particularly like it that Damon was going into a dangerous situation without him. “And who protects you?”

“I won't leave his side until he's back. No vampire will dare to attack him when I'm with him.”

“Except for Marcel”, Jimmy replied cynically.

“Klaus told me that Marcel promised him that he would not interfere. He has a clear code of honour when it comes to children. After that...” Elijah shrugged meaningful.

Damon shook his head. “I'm getting too old for this kind of adventure.”

Elijah snorted. “Just tell yourself that.” 

He and Damon left the room while Jimmy stared longingly after them. He understood Elijah's reasons to leave him behind but he still didn't like it.

An SUV was waiting for them in front of the compound. Josh was at the wheel and Klaus was sitting next to him.

“Are we again relegated to the back seat?” asked Damon unamused.

“It looks like that.” Elijah sighed. “Come on, it's not worth the argument.”

“Oh, I can always argue with Klaus.” Damon looked definitely gleeful.

“I know.” Elijah opened the rear car door and stared prompting at Damon.

“You are no fun.”

“I know. You're not the first person to tell me this, neither will you be the last. I keep hearing it from Klaus too.”

“Did I hear my name?” asked Klaus smiling.

Elijah sighed. Damon and Klaus would find a reason to argue anyway. “Yes you did.” 

It was better they got it out of their systems before the attack started. What did a little more headache matter to him when it came to Klaus? 

After 15 minutes, Elijah decided he had had enough of the two. “Quit it, you two. How are you going to approach the Bloods, Damon? I don't think it's wise to just knock on their door and demand entrance. It would make them suspicious.”

"Good point." Damon looked thoughtfully. “What if we pretend to scout out the building and act a little clumsily in doing so? That would also explain why you are with me. What other reason could you have to accompany me into danger?”

“He's right”, said Klaus thoughtfully.

“Of course he's right”, Elijah snapped back.

“But I think the suit you are wearing right now would destroy the impression we want to make”, said Klaus mischievously.

Elijah looked at Klaus with narrowed eyes. “I am convinced you have already an idea how to change that.”

“Josh, did you bring the clothes I asked for?” asked Klaus with false innocence.

Josh winced; he hadn’t known that these clothes were for Elijah. Why was he always the unlucky one to get between the fronts of those two? “They are in the bag next to Elijah, they belonged to Aiden.” 

Elijah forgot the caustic remark he wanted to give to Klaus and looked at Josh. “I'm sorry, but I can't promise you that you will get them back undamaged.”

Josh swallowed. “It's okay, Elijah, I have other keepsakes from him.”

“Thank you”, Elijah said softly before looking at the clothes. In respect for Josh and Aiden, he hold back from commenting but vowed that he would come up with something to pay Klaus back for this.

Elijah changed his outfit in the back seat. When he was done, he saw the corners of Damon's mouth twitching. “Not a word”, he warned Damon.

Elijah, otherwise always dressed so impeccably, now looked like a blue-collar worker who wore plaids and jeans, which were a little too big for him.

“I wouldn't dream of it”, assured Damon and refrained from any expression, which would betray his mirth.

Klaus was not so reluctant to laugh at his brother's expense.

“You'll regret that, brother”, promised Elijah deadly serious.

“Oh, I know, but it's so worth it”, Klaus replied pleased.

“Let's see if you say that too after I get even with you”, said Elijah without any humour.

Josh and Damon exchanged looks through the rear-view mirror. Both were pretty sure, that Klaus wouldn’t think so anymore when Elijah was done with him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new update because I will have to wait for my new laptop a few weeks longer, he is already two weeks overdue.
> 
> I had a lousy week, so I worked my frustration out by writing this chapter, I feel much more relaxed now.
> 
> It is the first time that I did write such an extensively fight scene. It is still a little clumsy, sorry.

When the Originals and Damon got out of the car at the meeting point, most vampires did a double take when they saw Elijah in this for him unusual clothing. However, they all possessed enough survival instinct not to say anything.

“Are you ready?” Elijah asked, ignoring the bemused stares of the assembled vampires.

“Let's do it”, Damon said resolutely.

Freya gave each of them several coins with a brief explanation of what they had to do to activate them. There wasn't much to it, the two men just had to hold one coin in their hand and say a word that Freya recited to them, which would trigger the spell.

The two men left the group, which now had to wait impatiently for the attack signal. Josh had given Elijah and Damon the positions of the guards. Without having to talk to each other, both men had chosen the same place to make their intentional slip-up.  
They had too much tactical experience to commit this mistake under normal circumstances but the Bloods still thought of Damon as a scientist who had only learned to fight in the past year. No Blood would ever suspect that their discovery of them was deliberate and planned.

Just before they reached the agreed spot, both men stopped to exchange one last time words without anyone overhearing them.

“Let me do the talking, Elijah. The Bloods know that Jimmy and I are the leaders of our group; they will expect that I speak for us. And your accent could arouse questions we don’t want to answer.”

“I have no problem with it”, replied Elijah calmly. “The more I behave inconspicuously now the more everyone will be surprised when I show them what I can do.”

“Your siblings are right, you know, the Bloods are going to treat us roughly. With me they may hold back because they want me for my knowledge but you ...”

“They will use me as leverage against you or will treat me cruelly to intimidate you”, Elijah added indifferently. “Don't worry, like I said, I can wait for the right moment to take my revenge.”

“That is not what I’m worried about, Elijah”, Damon replied. “What is when they hit you too hard in your face, you start to bleed and then they see you heal in front of them?”

“This is a risk I’m willing to take.” Elijah shrugged. “It's not like they can injure or kill me permanently.”

Damon nodded reluctantly but he was still worried for Elijah. 

Both men left their cover. Of course, Elijah with his supernatural hearing was the first one to hear the Bloods surrounding them. Damon couldn't hear quite as good but he still had his old instincts and knew that they weren't alone anymore.

So none of them was surprised when they turned a corner and suddenly faced a group of Bloods. Convincingly they backed away as if trying to escape but then a group of Bloods appeared behind them too. There was no escape for them anymore, not that they wanted to.

Elijah and Damon both felt how someone rammed the barrel of a gun into their backs.

“Hands up!” ordered an older Blood who was about 50 years old. He too pointed a gun at them. He had a weathered face, was bald-headed, with ice-cold grey eyes and a cruel mouth that matched his eyes.

Both men raised apparently reluctantly their hands. Next, someone frisked them thoroughly and removed their weapons, which of course both carried. Not that Elijah needed guns or knives to be lethal but it would have raised unnecessary suspicion if he had come without weapons. The Bloods though ignored the coins as they had hoped.

“Hands on your backs!” came the next command.

Damon and Elijah obeyed again. The cold steel of handcuffs encircled their wrists and the Bloods closed them a little tighter on them than it was strictly necessary.

When the speaker saw that the two men were now defenceless, he put his revolver away and built himself up intimidatingly in front of them. “Dr. Luther Swann, Calix Niklos will be so pleased, he was looking for you.”

“So I've heard”, Damon replied coldly. He was pleased with this beginning; it was the perfect start for their game.

“How did you find us?”

“Ava was very happy to provide us with information, after we ensured her grudging cooperation”, Damon replied as he and Elijah had previously agreed. There was no other reasonable explanation how they could have found this hideout.

The man pursed his lips and didn't look exactly sad about the news. “Is she dead?”

Damon looked him in the eye and lied with all the practice he had acquired in the last 200 years. “Yes she is. I still owed her for her betrayal towards Michael Fayne and his subsequent death.”

Something worked briefly on the speaker's face but before he could say anything, a radio crackled. The speaker pulled it out and turned this back on them before speaking. “Yes?”

“They are alone, there is no one else in the vicinity”, a female voice announced.

The corners of Elijah’s mouth curled slightly at that before he let his features become unreadable again. No guard would see anything unusual until it was too late for them.

“Very good. Remain nevertheless alert!” The man ordered before turning back to his prisoners. “Bring them inside.” He turned and went ahead.

Damon and Elijah received rough prods in the back and started to move. The Bloods led them inside the warehouse, their first obstacle overcome.

After he entered the building and the gates closed behind him, Damon felt a little uneasy, but it was too late now anyway.

Elijah was thrilled as he saw how the Bloods instantly relaxed after the gates closed. They really thought they were safe in the compound, how adorable.

“Where is my son?” Damon asked the only question that interested him.

The man hesitated briefly, but then he replied. “He is down in the basement. I will be generous and bring him to you. I'll even give you the opportunity to talk to him for a few minutes.” He smiled cruelly. “And after that you will do whatever we want, otherwise I will make sure your son pays dearly for it.”

Damon controlled his budding temperament only with long practice; he didn't want to risk that the man changed his mind. “What is your name?”

“Dan Mueller, I'm the security chief of this facility”, the man replied haughtily and then looked at Elijah for the first time. “Who are you? You're not Jimmy Saint.”

“I am Elijah Smith”, answered Elijah laconic.

Mueller nodded at the Blood, who was standing behind Elijah, who kicked Elijah in the back of his knees, causing him to land hard on his knees. Next, Elijah felt how the Blood put a hand on his left shoulder and squeezed it brutally before placing the barrel of a gun at his right temple.  
If Elijah were human, the pain would have affected him greatly, not to mention the threat with the weapon but as an Original he hardly felt the pain. Nevertheless, he reacted as expected from him, he groaned with a pain-contorted face and looked suitable afraid at the weapon.

Damon involuntarily moved towards Elijah to help him, although he knew that the greatest part of Elijah's reaction was only for show but the Blood behind him prevented him from doing so.

“Where is Saint?” Mueller asked arrogantly.

“I don't know”, Elijah replied, staring up at him defiantly.

Mueller smiled cruelly and slapped Elijah so violently across the face that the Blood behind him had to hold him upright.

Elijah, who had seen the blow coming, had his face turned in time to take away a little from the force of the blow. 

“Please leave him alone”, asked Damon worried.

Mueller turned to Damon. “Then answer me. Where is Saint?”

“He got injured in the fight with Ava and had to stay behind. Elijah volunteered to come with me”, Damon replied apparently reluctant.

“Up with him! I will later have enough opportunity to question Mr. Smith.” Mueller grabbed Elijah's throat and pulled him roughly up. “You will soon regret having volunteered for this mission. Unfortunately, I can't do too much to Swann but as he has just shown, he will talk to save you the pain. Not that it will ultimately protect you.”

Elijah smiled opaque. “I will remember you.”

Damon winced inside. This kind of remark coming from an Original was never a good sign. It seemed like Dan Mueller’s lifespan or more precisely, his chance for survival had just decreased to zero. In addition, Damon really doubted that Elijah would give Mueller an easy or painless death.

“Well, we'll spending a lot of time together but you won't enjoy it. Bring them to the mess hall! I will get the boy.” Mueller disappeared through one of the doors that led off the entrance hall.

Damon and Elijah were with rough shoves set in motion once again. Damon glanced inconspicuously at Elijah. With a barely noticeable nod, Elijah let him know that he was fine. Damon let himself be pushed forward, reassured. He hardly registered the pain, because in only a few minutes he would see his son again.

Elijah also let himself be pushed forward, watching observant his surroundings. He paid attention to exits, guards, everything that might be useful to him later if something went wrong.

The mess hall was empty when the prisoners entered it. Elijah saw that there were only two exits from the room. The furniture consisted for a mess hall of normal tables and chairs but in one corner were also sofas, armchairs and heavier tables. The corner was far enough from the exits that Elijah could for Damon and Desmond quickly build a protective wall from the furniture if needed. Elijah noted with satisfaction that their guards brought them to this corner.

His guards forced Elijah roughly into an armchair, with one Blood posted at each side of him and one behind the armchair. It really looked like the Bloods were taking Damon and his people rather seriously.

They pushed Damon into another sofa but with him stayed only two guards to keep an eye on him. “Please, can you take off my handcuffs so that I can hug my son?” He asked with a hoarse voice.

One of the men standing with Damon hesitated briefly but then he shrugged and unlocked the handcuffs. “No fooling around, otherwise we will hurt your friend”, he warned briefly.

Damon rubbed his wrists. “Thank you. I can promise you it won’t be me who will do something violent.” 

Elijah noted amused and a little proudly, how Damon put a slight emphasis on ‘me’. Apparently, Damon had learned too how to select his words carefully and misleading. 

10 minutes later, Mueller brought a child through the other entrance of the mess hall. Damon involuntarily stood up and his guards didn’t stop him. 

“Desmond?” Damon asked in a broken voice.

Desmond looked up at the familiar voice and when he recognized his father, he rushed towards him without Mueller making an effort to stop him. 

Deeply moved, Damon hugged his son for the first time in 4 months. Desmond was trembling and even though Damon didn't hear anything, he knew his son was sobbing. “Everything will be fine, Desmond, I'm with you now”, he murmured into his son's ear.

Mueller snorted. “You shouldn’t give a promise you can’t keep”, he said scornfully.

Damon ignored him but he didn't miss Desmond's wince when he heard Mueller’s voice. He involuntarily looked at Elijah, who had watched the reunion of father and son with a fond smile but whose eyes now narrowed angrily as he noticed the boy's reaction. The look Elijah then gave to Mueller was anything but kindly. No, definitely not a long life ahead of him, Damon thought to himself.

“I have another surprise for you, Dr. Swann”, said Mueller and looked back at the exit through which he had first entered.

Two more Bloods entered the mess hall, after them came a tall man with his hands and feet chained together, followed by four additional Bloods. 

Damon's eyes widened as he recognized the man. Only Desmond’s weight sitting on his lap prevented him from getting up. “Michael?” He whispered incredulously.

“Luther?” asked Michael Fayne equally incredulous, who had expected everything from his capturers when they took him out of his cell, but not, to see his best friend and brother again. 

His guards forced him to sit on the same sofa next to Damon.

Elijah raised his eyebrow in surprise as he recognized the name, so that was Damon’s second brother. It looked as if Elijah had acquired another charge, whose survival he had to ensure.

Elijah counted the guards; with Mueller were now 12 Bloods in the mess hall, no particular or tough challenge for him. With the present Bloods seriously distracted by the reunion of the two friends, Elijah made himself ready for the fight. 

Elijah focussed his gaze on Damon, who noticed and briefly changed his attentiveness from Desmond and Michael to Elijah. Elijah smirked at Damon and then looked meaningful down to the floor. Damon briefly closed his eyes as sign that he understood and made himself ready too.

“Don't be afraid, Desmond”, whispered Damon in his son's ear and wrapped an arm around his waist before he clasped Michael’s wrist with his other hand. Michael looked at him questioningly and Damon looked surreptitiously over to Elijah, who now targeted the Bloods, which were standing in a close group next to Damon and his family.

Michael followed Luther’s gaze to the stranger, who sat unobtrusively and unassuming in an armchair, guarded by three Bloods. However, he felt more than a little uncomfortable when he registered the merciless way the stranger eyed the Bloods. When the man looked at him, Michael shivered. For the first time since becoming a Blood, he felt more as the prey then as the hunter.

When the man stood up smoothly, the guard behind him put a hand on his shoulder to push him forceful back into the chair. The man however didn't seem to notice the strength behind the grip because he turned to the guard without any difficulties. 

Michael then watched as the stranger effortlessly tore apart the handcuffs who still cuffed his hands behind his back. Next, he grabbed the guard who had tried to contain him, at the throat and lifted him up as if he didn't even register the weight of the heavy built man.

Damon took this as his signal to drop to the ground and bury Desmond defensively beneath his body while simultaneously pulling Michael down with him.

Elijah used the guard he had grabbed by the throat as a projectile against the group, who still stood close together and knocked them all over.

Michael now understood what happened and protected Desmond and Damon with his body too. It didn’t hinder him however to watch and be fascinated with the fight between the stranger and the Bloods.

With a speed that made Michael breathless, the stranger reached out and gripped the guards who stood next to him and who had not yet been able to react in any way, in the chest, where he then casually tore their hearts out.

Then, for Michael it was as if the stranger was teleporting, although he of course knew it was impossible, he was suddenly standing next to the guards who were still on their feet and started to snap their necks quickly and without hesitation.

In a matter of seconds, the man had not only managed to kill half of the guards but had also incapacitated the other half. No Blood got even the opportunity to point their guns at him.

Michael watched the man, though he now very much doubted that he was even human, hold Mueller's head with his hands and said something to him that he couldn't hear. What he saw however was that Mueller stopped fighting and sank docile back to the floor but the panic and fear in Mueller’s eyes told Michael that it was not on his own volition.

Afterwards, the man took care of the still living guards, which were just beginning to get up again, and who he killed without any qualms too. None of them had any opportunity to alert anyone outside the mess hall of their predicament.

When the fighting noise stopped, Damon nudged Michael to let him up. 

“Keep your eyes closed, Desmond!” he cautioned his son and Michael noticed that he looked remarkable unmoved by the killing. 

“Are you and your son alright, Damon?” asked the man and looked as if he did something like this every day.

“Yes, everything is fine, thank you.” Damon looked around and saw that it was a remarkably bloodless slaughter for an Original. The only exception was the two Bloods, which hearts Elijah had torn out. Damon looked uncertain from these bodies to his son.

Elijah followed Damon’s eyes and then knocked over one of the couches to hide at least the bloody corpses.

Damon gave him a grateful look. “Ok, you can open your eyes now, Desmond.”

Desmond obeyed his father and sat up. With fearful eyes, he looked first at the Bloods that had caused him so much terror in the last four months, and then at the man with the bloody hands who had killed them so quickly.

“This is Elijah; he is a very good and old friend of me. He will protect you, you don't have to be afraid of him and you can trust him”, Damon assured his son.

Desmond relaxed a little and looked at the man who now crouched in front of him and looked at him with a gentle smile. “Hello Desmond, it is nice to finally meet you. Your father told me so much about you.”

Desmond nodded shyly, but didn’t say anything, still a little overwhelmed.

Elijah smiled understandingly. “We will later have time to get to know each other. For now just do what your father tells you and I'll make sure that you get out of here.”

Damon smiled gratefully at Elijah. “What happens next, Elijah?”

Elijah took one coin out of his pocket and said the word Freya had taught him. The coin flashed brightly and disappeared. Desmond and Michael widened their eyes in amazement.

“What is that, Dad?” asked Desmond spellbound.

“It is magic, Desmond, true magic”, answered Damon smiling.

“We have to hurry.” Elijah nodded to the corner. “We build a barricade to protect you. And when the Bloods come in to take you as hostages, they will have to face me.” Elijah smirked ferocious.

Damon nodded, totally unfazed by the deadly menace Elijah now radiated. There was no trace of the inconspicuous man anymore, Michael had first seen. “These poor guys won’t even know what will hit them! Well, at least they will die quickly, not like their buddies out there when Klaus starts to play with them. Can you help us with the barricade, Michael?”

Michael swallowed; he couldn’t recognized his formerly so gentle friend anymore in this dangerous man, who spoke so callously about the upcoming demise of a lot of Bloods. What had happened to Luther in the last months? 

“I would like to.” Michael first raised his bound hands and then looked down at his chained feet. “But how?”

Elijah smiled harshly at Michael and then, as if it were nothing to him, he tore apart chains specifically constructed to withstand the strength of Bloods. “Problem solved and now move!”

Michael obeyed. There was no chance that he would cross this Elijah in any way. Together, it didn't take long for the two of them to pile up the furniture around Desmond and Damon so that the non-combatants were protected.

Elijah raised his head; he seemed to hear something no one else could hear. “You go in there, too”, said Elijah. “Klaus’s attack has started, they will come soon.”

“I can help you”, offered Michael.

“Thanks for your offer but you will only get in my way.” Elijah was now looking at Damon. “With so many Bloods that will storm in here ready to shoot, I can't hold myself back. Therefore, it will get very bloody. Make sure that Desmond can’t watch the fight!”

Damon nodded wordlessly and squatted down to talk to his son while it was still quiet.

Michael swallowed dryly. Elijah had been holding back as he fought the 12 Bloods? What was he capable of when he was fighting without constraint?

“They are coming.” Elijah grabbed Michael and literally threw him over the barricade, and then he positioned himself where he had both entrances in his sight but was still some distance away from the barricade.

Only a few seconds later, the first Bloods stormed through the door and Elijah just stood there and let them surround him.

“What is he doing?” Michael asked disturbed.

“Just watch”, Damon replied.

“Put down your weapons and you will stay alive.” Elijah smiled chillingly. “Fight and you will share the fate of your friends.” Elijah looked meaningfully at the bodies that lay on the floor.

For the Bloods, already mad about the dead, were this arrogant ultimatum the last straw and they jumped Elijah to take their revenge. They dragged Elijah down to the ground and he disappeared beneath them without any resistance.


	9. Chapter 9

Klaus and Marcel watched the capture of Damon and Elijah from afar. Satisfied that their plan had worked out, Klaus focused on his hearing to hear what everyone said. As long as his brother and Damon were outside, he could hear everything clearly but as soon as the two were inside the warehouse, Klaus could only catch every second word anymore.

However, Klaus could hear enough. His eyes flashed when he heard how scornful this Mueller spoke with Elijah and then even hit him.

Marcel, who was listening in too, glanced inconspicuously at Klaus. He knew his father well enough to interpret correctly the pressed lips and the working jaw.   
“Klaus”, he cautioned with understanding. He knew that Elijah was one of the very few weaknesses Klaus allowed himself. If Klaus were down there with Elijah right now, the leader would die in screaming agony. 

Klaus looked at him. “Don't worry, I'll wait for the signal. Josh!” Josh came to him. “My brother will leave some of them alive. Give orders that everyone down there who survives a direct encounter with Elijah gets isolated. Nobody touches them or I will kill those who disobey me. I suspect my brother will want to speak lengthily with them.”

“OK.” Josh looked confused but he shrugged, he would carry out the order, he had gotten much weirder ones through the years. Marcel shared some of his bewilderment.

Klaus smiled grimly at Marcel. “My brother will spare this Mueller and perhaps some others too. I don't want Elijah to relinquish his revenge because some of my vampires are too eager and kill everyone.”

“I understand”, replied Marcel, looking at the warehouse. He shivered as he imagined which kind of revenge Elijah would visit on anyone who had treated him like Mueller had.

After Elijah and Damon were taken to another room, Klaus and Marcel couldn't hear anything anymore. Now all they could do was wait.

*****

Damon and Michael watched from the security of their barricade as the human cluster literally exploded apart after a few seconds. Then, Elijah, beaten and bloody, straightened himself up as if he didn’t notice his injuries, and he began to kill his opponents bloody and ruthlessly.

Michael gasped as Elijah’s not exactly small injuries healed in a matter of seconds before his eyes. Meanwhile, the first Bloods had gathered their wits back together and started to shoot at Elijah with their guns, who though completely disregarded the bullets that hit his body. However, he took it as an invitation, to take out those who shot at him, next.

Michael watched in disbelief as a single man, skilfully and without breaking a sweat, fought a small army of Bloods, which could neither cause him a lasting injury nor serious stop him.

“Who on earth is he?” Michael wondered without actually expecting an answer from Damon.

“He is one of the Originals. Little advice, never piss him off.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. How many of these Originals are there?”

“Four or five, it depends on how you count them. And just for your information, Elijah is the most easy-going of his family but not necessarily the most harmless.”

“The first is a little hard to believe but I will take your word for it”, said Michael sarcastically.

“Wait until you meet his brother Klaus.” Damon shrugged nonchalantly.

Suddenly Elijah whirled around and seized a wooden stake aimed at his heart from one Blood, who had sneaked up on him.

“What the hell?” Damon jolted up in surprise.

Elijah snarled enraged and then his face changed in an eerie way that Michael had never seen before. His eyes turned pitch black and red, around them appeared writhing black lines.

Had Michael until now thought that Elijah reacted violently, his fierceness and savagery now increased tenfold. Snarling, he struck his teeth in the throat of his attacker before he knocked him out cold, and then he turned back to his other foes. The furious Original tore through them as if they were nothing.

“Why didn't he kill him?” Michael could now hear fighting outside of the mess hall too.

“He probably wants to ask him from whom he got the stake”, answered Damon, who refrained from explaining to Michael why both he and Elijah had reacted so extremely to the wooden stake.

“Yes, it is a very unusual weapon”, Michael agreed. “But I think I asked you the wrong question, though. I should have asked you what he is instead of who.”

“Oh, he's a vampire”, Damon replied laconically and ignored the stunned look from Michael.

So far, the Bloods had completely ignored those behind the barricade but now some of them started moving in their direction. Before they could even reach the barricade, Elijah stood behind them and ripped their heads off with a bored face.

Michael got slowly hungry from the smell of blood that permeated the whole room. “How is that even possible? I've never seen this variety before, he can’t be a Blood!”

“Of course not”, scoffed Damon. “He's a real vampire, not a mutation. But now is not a good time to explain to you the difference.”

“I fully agree with that”, Elijah interfered, annoyed with this conversation. He was now the only one left standing. There were dozens of lifeless bodies scattered around him, only a few Bloods still moved, whimpering and moaning.

The fighting outside had also decreased or it had simply moved to a different part of the building.

Elijah returned to his old position and waited patiently on whoever dared to come next through one of the doors.

After a few moments, the voice of a man called softly. “Elijah?”.

“You can come in, Josh”, said Elijah, still very edgy from the fight, it had been a long time since he had let loose in a fight like this with his whole strength behind it. Now he had to struggle to put his inner beast back into the cage. 

One man came through the door but he moved deliberate slowly and with his arms raised. 

“Where is my brother?” asked Elijah brusque.

“He is following the survivors of the attack.” Josh carefully made his way through the bodies lying on the floor. He had to be cautious not to slip in the blood. He had witnessed many massacres over the years that Elijah, Klaus, or both together had wrought but he hadn’t seen something like this in many years.

“Of course he does, what else is new?” Elijah muttered exasperated. “Were there any problems?”

“Some of them had wooden stakes. Klaus was not amused about it.”

Elijah grimaced. “I can imagine. I had a Blood who attacked me with a stake too. Losses?”

“No, we were lucky. Klaus, Marcel and Rebecca were with their intervention quick enough to prevent any losses. Klaus has now ordered to capture as many as possible alive.”

“How level-headed of him”, Elijah said scathingly. 

Josh said nothing but kept a safe distance from Elijah who was still trying to regain his usual control. 

Now two more vampires entered the mess hall who stopped startled as they saw the bloodbath in the mess hall.

“Elijah, we have orders from Klaus to bring you and everyone who belongs to you out of here”, said one of the men a little more respectfully than initially planned. He was new in New Orleans and had never before encountered Elijah.   
He hadn’t been very impressed with him as he had seen Elijah before the attack, compared with Klaus he just didn't look particularly remarkable. He had heard rumours about his dangerousness but had not really believed them. 

“Okay, if it is his command.” The sarcasm dripped downright from Elijah’s words. “Some Bloods in here are still alive. They are mine, nobody touches them!”

“Yes, sir. We already got our orders from Klaus in this regard.”

“Did you, yes?” Elijah smirked a little. It seemed Klaus wanted to get back into his good graces after his stunt with the clothes. Speaking of clothes, Elijah eyed Josh, whose clothes were still relatively bloodless, which he couldn't say from his. “Come with me!”

Josh followed obediently, not sure, what Elijah wanted from him. 

Elijah walked to one of the Bloods, who had his size, lay separately and whose uniform was without any blood. “Strip him off his clothes!”

Josh obeyed quietly and without hesitation. Elijah was not in the mood to tolerate questions he thought unnecessary and judging by his attitude right now, he considered every question superfluous. 

Elijah started to strip too and Josh now understood what Elijah wanted with the uniform. After a few minutes, Elijah was back in bloodless clothes and had washed his hands too. 

Josh had only ever seen Elijah in his suits or in casual clothing. Now he saw him for the first time in a uniform, dressed completely in black. With the inner beast still so close to the surface and without Elijah bothering to hide behind his inconspicuous mask, his aura rivalled Klaus’s at his most savage and was absolute terrifying. 

Moreover, Elijah in uniform was extremely hot! Josh shuddered at this unwelcome thought. Just no, he knew better than that!

Wordlessly Elijah started to dismantle the barricade and Josh helped him with this too. 

“Is everything okay with Desmond, Damon?” Elijah asked softly after they had made their way through the barricade.

“He didn't see anything.” Damon smiled a little sadly because he hadn't been able to protect his son from the screams of the dying men.

Elijah hesitated for a moment knowing which reaction one part of his suggestion would likely create. “If you agree, Josh could compel Desmond to keep his eyes closed when he carries him out of here. I prefer to remain unhindered with a burden when we walk out of here.”

Damon fought his first impulse to refuse indignantly the proposal that Josh compelled his son. He understood the reason for Elijah's suggestion as he saw the carnage out there for the first time fully. His son was very curious, only Damon's presence had stopped Desmond from looking. He nodded wordlessly and gave the way free for Josh.

Moreover, as much as Damon would have preferred to carry out his son himself, in the case of an attack Josh would definitely react faster than Damon could and it was only wise to keep Elijah unhampered for a possible surprise attack through Bloods. 

With a respectful nod to him walked Josh past Damon and crouched in front of Desmond. “Hello, I'm Josh.” The boy looked at him nervously and Josh used cautiously compulsion on him. “You don't have to be afraid of me. You will close your eyes when I take you in my arms and you will only open them when I tell you to do so.”

“I don't need to be afraid of you and I won't open my eyes until you tell me”, Desmond repeated in a monotonous voice.

Damon couldn’t suppress a flinch as he saw his son compelled.

After watching Josh and Desmond, Michael had now an inkling, what Elijah had done with Mueller but he really doubted that Elijah had assured Mueller that he didn’t need to be afraid of him.

Josh picked up Desmond and he obediently closed his eyes. “You are a very brave young man.”

“I'm going first, then Josh, then Damon, then Michael.” Elijah looked at the other two vampires. “One of you brings up the rear, while the other stays here. I don't care who does what.”

“Yes, Elijah”, replied the older vampire. “You go with them”, he ordered his subordinate, who scowled at him, not at all thrilled that he should accompany the Original.

“Move”, said Elijah and glared at the unfortunate vampire, who promptly blanched and ducked his head deferentially. 

“What if we meet others of your kind? I'm a Blood after all”, questioned Michael a little nervously.

Damon touched Michael on the elbow and said softly, “Just stay behind me. None of Klaus’s men will dare to stop us when Elijah is displaying this kind of forcefulness.”

“Not if they're attached to their lives, isn’t that right?” asked Elijah, smiling meanly at the older vampire. He wasn’t very impressed with the way the older vampire had kept the safer job for himself. He would give Klaus the advice to keep an eye on this one. “Should we be stopped, I intend to take it out on you.”

Now it was the older vampire’s turn to turn pale and to bow his head. “Nobody will stop you, sir”, he assured anxiously.

“I sure hope so, for you”, answered Elijah, his threat clearly recognizable, and started to walk and as directed by him everyone followed.

Michael stumbled a little when he saw the destruction waiting on the outside. It had been bloody enough in the mess hall but here were severed heads, limbs, and intestines everywhere. Michael was suddenly glad that Desmond had to keep his eyes closed until Josh allowed him to open his eyes again; no child should see something like this.

He watched Elijah and Josh walk across the bloody floor and somehow adjust their movements so that they didn't slip. He guessed it wasn't the first time they stepped over such slippery ground as he recalled the nonchalant way Josh had reacted to so many dead bodies.

What surprised him was how fast Luther walked the same way after his first steps had been somewhat slippery. Where had he learned this way of moving? And why did Elijah call him Damon?

The hall was empty except for five vampires, who only needed to take a simple look at the unreadable and chilly expression on Elijah's face before they moved out of his way.

Michael wondered what they knew about Elijah that they were so afraid of him. And what did Luther know that he did not seem to share the same fear?

*****

After they left the warehouse, Michael took a deep breath. They had starved him quite a bit when he was a prisoner and smelling blood everywhere had tested his self-control. However, he did not intend to challenge Elijah by using Luther or Desmond for a meal, he wasn’t crazy enough.

An SUV waited in front of the building and Elijah walked straight towards it.

“Damon, please go into the back seat. Josh, the boy comes next to his father, only then will you tell him to open his eyes. You will drive!”

“Yes, Elijah.” Josh did as told. He had never before heard Elijah utter so many orders over such a short time. Usually it was Klaus, who gave everyone the orders and he did the same thing with his siblings.   
Although in hindsight, Klaus had by Elijah always hold back with this bossiness. Sometimes Josh thought that Elijah was the only thing Klaus really feared and respected.

Elijah waited for Damon, Desmond and Josh to sit in the car before speaking to Michael, his eyes oddly sympathetic. “I know you're hungry. Can you hold out another half an hour?”

“Yes, I can control the urge”, said Michael.

“Fine, sit next to Josh. Should you lose control, he'll stop you.”

“Yes, sir.” Michael emphasized slightly questioningly the word ‘Sir’.

The corners of Elijah's mouth twitched slightly. “Elijah is perfectly sufficient.” Then he turned to the vampire, who stood a little lost beside the SUV because he didn't know what to do next. “You can stay here ... what's your name?”

“William, Elijah”, answered the vampire, who was just grateful that he didn't have to go with them.

“William. You did well.” Elijah nodded approvingly at the vampire and got into the SUV and Michael followed his lead.

As for William, he was grateful that he had survived this assignment and pleased with the praise that the Original had given him.

Josh drove off and Elijah saw how Desmond snuggled up to his father and closed his eyes voluntarily this time as Damon laid his arms around him. Damon and Elijah exchanged looks over his head, one of them grateful and the other one compassionate.

The SUV was silent; no one wanted to disturb the sleeping boy.

When they stopped before the compound, Elijah got out first. He gently pulled Desmond out and held him in his arms until Damon got out too before handing him over to his father. “Bring him to your room. I will make sure that you will not be disturbed.”

Damon watched his son's peaceful face, overwhelmed with emotion, before looking at Elijah. “Thank you, Elijah, for everything!”

“You're welcome, Damon.” Elijah watched satisfied how Damon brought his son into the building before turning to Josh and Michael. “Josh, please guard the courtyard while I take care of our guest's needs.” Elijah looked at Michael. “Come with me in the kitchen, there is enough blood to quench your thirst.”

Michael followed Elijah and whistled impressed when he saw the compound for the first time from the inside. Elijah's family seemed to have a lot of money.

“This building has been owned by my family for over 300 years”, explained Elijah politely.

“Your ancestors have lived in New Orleans for 300 years?” Michael was impressed.

Elijah stopped, turned to Michael, and gave him a significant look. “When I say my family, I'm talking about us. We came to New Orleans 300 years ago.”

Michael swallowed. “How old are you?”

Elijah smiled slightly in the way, Michael had seen before and which never reached his eyes unless he looked at Damon or Desmond. “I am over 1000 years old.”

Then he turned again and went on, Michael followed him awestruck.

In the kitchen, a man Michael identified as Jimmy Saint was making himself a sandwich. When he recognized Michael, his knife slipped and he cut his hand. The sight and the smell was the last straw to let Michael’s control snap. He attacked Saint but before he could reach him, an iron-hard hand gripped his neck and yanked him roughly back.

“None of that”, Michael heard Elijah's voice through his blood lust. The hand turned him over to Elijah and Elijah's other hand grabbed his throat and lifted him up in the air.

Elijah looked him in the eye and compelled him. “When I let you go, you will sit in the next chair and you won't budge from it until I give you permission.”

Michael now learned first-hand what Elijah had done with Mueller and it was terrible to have his own will so completely overwritten. “I won't move from the chair”, Michael said dazed.

Elijah released him and Michael obeyed without hesitation.

“I apologize for this, Jimmy. They starved him and he lost control.”

“No problem.” Jimmy went to the sink and let cold water run over the cut.

Elijah went to a drawer and took out a plaster. “Let me!” He treated Jimmy, who kept his eyes on Michael all the time.

“I thought he was dead.”

Elijah shrugged. “He was not the only surprise that awaited us there.”

“What about Desmond?” Jimmy asked concerned.

“He's upstairs with his father. Maybe you should go to him. I will make sure that our guest no longer remains hungry.”

“I understand.” Jimmy left, unwilling to watch the Blood feed.

Elijah went to the refrigerator and took out some blood bags, one of which he passed on to Michael. He greedily bit in it and drank, slowly feeling the worst hunger diminish.

“More?” Elijah asked and watched him impassive.

“Yes, please”, said Michael hoarsely. Elijah gave him another. In the end, Michael had emptied five blood bags and almost felt sated.

“You should stop, otherwise you will get sick”, said Elijah. “The feeling of hunger will stay with you for some time, no matter how many bags you drink now.”

“Yes, maybe”, said Michael, staring longingly at the fridge.

“No, unquestionably. Every vampire knows this relentless hunger after someone starved him.” Elijah looked to the side, remembering all the times someone had done this to him. “Come with me, I'll put you in a room near Damon.”

The two men went upstairs and Elijah showed him his room. “Stay here until I get you. Most of my family are still at the harbour and they don't know who you are. Should they see you, each of them would kill you without hesitation. I have to introduce you first.”

“I'll stay here”, Michael promised.

“Rest, it will take several hours for everyone to come back. I'll bring you more blood bags in a few hours.” Elijah hesitated briefly. “Are you still eating real food?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then I'll bring you some sandwiches too.” 

“Thank you, Elijah, you know, for the rescue and everything.” 

Elijah nodded politely to him. “You are welcome, Michael.”

When Elijah left the room, he heard the exasperated voices of two women and a man he hadn't listened to in a long time, and Josh's calm voice who tried to reassure them.

Elijah sighed resignedly. The timing of the Mystic Falls gang was as impeccable as always und second to none. His long day was not over yet.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, finally the meeting between the four friends. Tell me, if you liked it!

A vampire, stationed as a guard at one of the other checkpoints, entered the compound, followed by two women and a man. “I have orders from Klaus to bring them here.”

Josh nodded and looked at the strangers, the blonde woman was young looking and a vampire and the other two were human and in their forties. “Klaus informed me. You are Damon’s friends, right?”

“Yes. Where is he?” The black-haired woman got straight to the point.

“The rescue was successful. Damon came back with his son an hour ago, they are now resting”, answered Josh.

“We want to see him”, the blonde woman declared imperiously.

“I'll inform Elijah that you're here”, Josh replied politely.

“Is Damon a prisoner?” asked the dark-haired woman tense.

Josh looked at her in honest surprise. “No, he isn’t. How did you get that idea, Miss ...?

The man, a few years older than the black-haired women, stepped now in. “Sorry about the impatience of my companions.” He pointed first to the dark-haired woman, then to the blonde-haired woman and then at himself. “Bonnie Bennett, Caroline Forbes, Alaric Saltzmann. It's just that we haven't seen Damon in many years and every one of us had our share of unpleasant experiences with the Originals.”

“Who hasn't? Sometimes I believe that is the way they say Hello.” Josh shrugged meaningful. “Elijah is the only Original, who is here at the moment. Do you really think it is a good idea to walk through his home without his permission?”

“Probably not”, Alaric agreed thoughtfully.

“But to reassure you, as far as I can tell, Damon is here completely voluntarily. I was with him and Elijah when they got Damon’s son out of there; the boy is completely exhausted and traumatized. I can't imagine that Damon wants to leave his side for the next few hours.”

“We could go see Damon in his room”, suggested Caroline impatiently.

“You want this boy, who has for four months served as an experiment for the Bloods, to witness your undoubtedly spirited reunion?” Elijah walked smoothly down the stairs as he asked his question seemingly indifferently. “What would you do if it were about your daughters?”

Josh saw how all three visitors grow tense und their eyes watchful when they saw Elijah. Interestingly enough it was Bonnie, who stepped forward while Caroline and Alaric dropped back. “Hello Elijah”, she greeted the original and held out her hand.

“Bonnie, a pleasure to see you again after all this time.” Elijah took it, leaned over her hand and kissed it.

“It's undoubtedly a long time since we last saw each other”, Bonnie agreed.

Elijah turned to the other two visitors. “Caroline, Alaric, a good day to you too. My niece is still comfortable in your school?”

“She's fine, Elijah”, replied Alaric politely. Caroline nodded.

“I assume that our next parents’ consultation will again take place via video conference?” Elijah's voice sounded somewhat ironic.

“Yes, it would cause too much trouble with the other parents if they had to mingle with Originals”, Alaric said uneasily. There was an edge to Elijah he had not seen in a long time.

“Don't worry, Alaric, Klaus and I will as usual stick to the agreed procedure.” Elijah smiled slightly. “We want Hope to be happy and comfortable in Mystic Falls.”

“I never doubted that, Elijah”, replied Alaric sincerely.

“To come back to Damon, I propose a compromise. There are already rooms prepared for you. Rest a few hours, recover from your journey, you had a long drive. As soon as you are settled, I will inform Damon that you are here. He is just as impatient to see you again as you are to see him.  
However, in the end it is up to him when and under what circumstances you will meet his son.” Elijah smiled softly but now there was pure steel behind it.

“As long as it's his decision”, said Caroline stubbornly.

“I give you my word that as soon as you are in your rooms I will inform Damon about your arrival. And that in no way my siblings or I will interfere in any of Damon’s decisions regarding his son”, replied Elijah in detail. “Furthermore I promise that he is not our prisoner, he is free to go at any time.”

Josh saw how all three visitors imperceptible relaxed. So they knew the evasive and careful way in which Elijah sometimes made his promises if he wanted to keep himself a loophole open. But this time there was no loophole in the promises Elijah had just made. And they knew obviously too, how serious Elijah was about keeping his word once it was given.

“Where's Klaus?” Caroline asked and Bonnie rolled her eyes at the question. “By the way, you reek of blood.”

“I haven't had a shower yet. There were a lot of Bloods who literally begged me to kill them”, replied Elijah smirking.

Caroline, Bonnie and Alaric exchanged uneasy glances. Every time they started to relax in Elijah's presence, they were reminded that if someone provoked him or more importantly threatened his family, Elijah was no lesser dangerous as his brother and no lesser vicious.

“And you wear for your standards unusual clothing”, added Alaric.

Elijah looked at Alaric blankly but didn’t react otherwise to his remark. “Klaus is still at the harbour to give orders and clean up the bloody mess so that the human authorities don’t get involved. And of course get information from the Bloods in his own inimitable way.”

“And we all know Klaus’s methods intimately”, Alaric said dryly.

Elijah shrugged. “My brother may have become more rational but that does not apply to those he regards as his enemies. I think it will be a few hours until he comes back.” He looked at Caroline with gentle mockery. “So you will have enough time to make yourself beautiful for him.”

Caroline blushed.

Josh looked in amazement at Caroline and then at Elijah. Caroline and Klaus were interested in each other?

Elijah rolled his eyes as he replied to Josh’s unasked question. “Klaus was entranced by Caroline and courted her when we were still living in Mystic Falls. He has a certain type!”

“I beg your pardon?” Caroline asked icily.

Josh bit his lip and decided not to ask any more questions.

“Klaus likes women who complicate his life”, Elijah explained succinctly.

Caroline narrowed her eyes annoyed but she couldn’t exactly deny the truth of Elijah’s words.

“How about you show us our rooms, Elijah?” Alaric hastily suggested. This kind of conversation was not one he wished to let continue further, which was probably all along Elijah’s intention. There was no other reason for him to speak of Caroline’ and Klaus’s old affair, he was crafty this way.

Elijah smiled pleased with himself at Alaric. “Please follow me!” 

This had shut down the conservation quite nicely and if Klaus found out about it, it would infuriate him; it was practically a win-win-situation. 

Their new guests were after a few minutes comfortably accommodated in their rooms.

As Elijah had promised, he went to Damon to inform him of the arrival of his friends. He knocked softly and it was only because of his supernatural hearing that he heard Damon's permission to enter.

Jimmy was standing at the window, watching riveted a parade winding through the street beneath him. Desmond was lying on the bed; sound asleep, while Damon was sitting in an armchair by the bed, keeping his eyes on him.

“Elijah, what is it?” Damon asked softly.

“Bonnie, Alaric and Caroline are here to see you”, Elijah replied willingly and told Damon about the conversation that had just taken place.

Damon rubbed his face. “Sorry about that, Elijah.”

“Don't worry, I didn't expect anything else”, Elijah reassured him. “How do you want to proceed?”

“I would prefer if we could get all the trouble over with at once. With a little luck, everyone will get it out of his or her system and I can introduce Desmond to all of them.”

Elijah sighed resignedly. “And hopefully everyone in on their best behaviour as long as he is in the room.”

“You don't trust your brother's self-control?” 

“We're talking about Klaus”, Elijah replied, rolling his eyes. “And there is still a lot of bad blood between the Originals and the Mystic Falls Gang. Every time we have seen each other, Hope or other outsiders were present so everyone behaved civilized and reserved.”

“This time there won't be a buffer between us”, Damon agreed. He looked over at Desmond. “Which room is best suited for our encounter?”

“We take the library and I will ask Freya to put a silence spell around the room, so that Desmond doesn’t hear anything and nobody calls the cops on us.” Elijah smirked, amused at the thought.

Damon scoffed. “Which cop from New Orleans would be stupid or tired of life enough to react to such a call? Perhaps you should call Klaus?”

Elijah nodded, took out his smartphone and called his brother. “Niklaus, how is everything? Are there any other surprises?”

Damon saw Elijah frown. Whatever Klaus said to him seemed to worry him. “Wouldn't it be better to let the witches and werewolves know about this?”

Elijah listened. “As you wish. Our guests are here and asked about you. What should I tell them when you are here?” Elijah nodded in agreement with whatever Klaus said. “See you later, brother.” Elijah hung up.

“What did he say?”

“It will take a few more hours before he can be back.” Elijah stared into space. “It looks like the Bloods had planned to take over New Orleans. There were enough weapons stored in the building to wage a little war. Perhaps you should meet now with your friends so that at least between you four everything is alright again.”

Damon nodded in resignation. “I'll wait in the library downstairs while you get them.”

“Okay, but please, let me first take a shower. Let’s say, in one hour?”

“Fine with me. Jimmy, could you as long stay with Desmond?”

“Of course, Damon”, Jimmy agreed at once. “Desmond knows me and he feels safe with me.”

“Thank you. Elijah, where is Michael by the way? Did you lock him to Ava in the basement?”

“No, he has a room but I asked him not to leave the room until I introduced him to everyone.”

Damon was relieved. “Somehow I say ‘Thank you’ a lot to you today.”

"You are welcome." Elijah hesitated. “Do you wish my presence for your reunion?

“Maybe at the beginning.” Damon was unsure about the reactions of his friends after all this time.

“See you soon, Damon.” Elijah left Damon's room and went to Alaric to inform him. He asked him to let Bonnie and Caroline know as well. Then he went to his room so that he could get finally out of this uniform.

*****

Elijah waited patiently at the agreed time in front of Alaric’s room. The three doors opened almost simultaneously and Alaric, Bonnie and Caroline stepped out. “Damon is waiting below. I'll take you there.”

“Thank you, Elijah”, Bonnie said politely. Elijah now looked again the way they knew him, in an expensive suit and serene. The slightly feral person, they had seen when they had arrived, had completely disappeared, but Bonnie knew only too well that he was always close to the surface.

When they entered the library, Damon was standing in the middle of the room, smiling uncertainly at them. “Hello, long time no see.”

Bonnie ran up to him laughing and jumped into his arms. He reflexively caught her, even if he swayed a little as she wrapped her legs around him.

“Careful, I'm not as strong as I used to be.” Damon kissed her forehead. “It's good to see you again, Bon-Bon, I missed you.” His voice was hoarse as he fought back tears.

“I've missed you too.” Bonnie also cried a little.

Damon put her feet back on the floor, and then grinned at Caroline. “What, no hug for me from you?”

“You idiot.” Caroline punched him hard on the shoulder, then hugged him tightly.

“Ow, not that durable anymore, remember?” 

“You are still the most stubborn of us.” Caroline kissed him on the cheek. “How could you do this to us?

“I had no choice, Caroline.” Damon's voice was serious. “They were after me and I had to protect my son. If I hadn't broken up all contact with you, they could have found me through you. You, your families, everyone would have been in danger too.”

“I understand you, but it still hurt.” Caroline sniffled.

“I'm so sorry.” Damon released her before grinning at his best friend. “Hello Alaric. Did you keep my bar stool free?”

“Caroline is right, you are an idiot.” Alaric took a swing and gave him a blow on his jaw that knocked Damon down.

Elijah rolled her eyes. It looked like Damon and Alaric still preferred their old and rather eccentric way of expressing their mutual friendship.

“Why do you always hit me?” Damon rubbed his chin and looked up to Alaric.

“Because you deserve it”, Alaric growled and held out his hand. Damon took it and let Alaric pull it up. Both men hugged laughing.

“Damn, it's good to see you. Never do that to us again!”

“I am not planning to. I will return to Mystic Falls as soon as I have told Desmond about my past.”

Alaric’s eyes grew serious. “I do not envy you for this task.”

Damon smiled sadly. “I’m afraid of it.” He nodded to Elijah, who smiled and left the room, he wasn’t needed here anymore.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer wait but I had every day migraines in the last week and was barely able to concentrate or sit in front of the laptop.
> 
> Finally watched the last season of The Originals. The last episode felt so unfinished and abrupt without any right conclusion. I liked the last episode of The Vampire Diaries a lot more.
> 
> But Elijah without his memories is really badass. I found it interesting how the other Originals reacted with him on the other side and his skills used against them.

One of the vampires who searched the complex for anomalies called Klaus on his phone. “I found something that you have to see, Klaus. It is important!”

Klaus asked for directions and just a few minutes later, he was standing in front of the largest assortment of weapons he had seen in a long time. Klaus whistled through his teeth.

“That's enough to start a war”, said the vampire who had notified him.

“Or an invasion.” Klaus growled angrily. The Bloods really thought that he would allow them to take his city. “Intensify your search, Ryan. Contact me at once if you find any other abnormalities.”

“Yes, Klaus.”

The phone rang again. Klaus saw that it was Elijah and took it. “Yes, brother?”

Klaus listened. “You can say that again. It looks as if the Bloods are planning to take over New Orleans by force. You should see their armoury. We also captured several Bloods that attacked us with wooden stakes. I'll speak with them myself.”

Klaus listened and then shook his head as he answered his brother. “No not yet. You know how much witches and werewolves hate dealing with me. That's why I need you here, Elijah. I will send Rebekah and Freya back to the compound. From now on, at least one of us should always be there.”

Klaus listened again. “Make them feel welcome, which should be hard enough. As soon as Rebekah is there and you can leave, you come to me.” Klaus looked sad. “I can't leave now, this is more important. I'll see Caroline soon enough.”

Klaus hung up and made his way back. He paused briefly before entering the hall to get a suitable facial expression. It was time to scare some people.

Klaus casually strolled through the entrance hall of the warehouse. As soon as his people saw the look on his face, they backed away from him so that they didn't get in his way.

The prisoners who had survived and been brought here perceived of course, that their capturers suddenly looked nervous and slightly fearful. The blond man, who seemed the cause of it, looked no older than 30 and although he was scowling, nothing about him looked so terrifying that this reaction was justified.

The prisoners knelt in the middle of the hall and consisted of three groups. The first was by far the biggest; it was those Bloods that until now hadn't caused any special problems or gotten noticed in some other way.

Marcel and Rebekah stood with a few other vampires by the second group, which consisted of almost 20 Bloods. This Bloods had used the wooden stakes against the vampires. Klaus couldn't wait to ask them questions.

The third group consisted of five Bloods, guarded by the two vampires he had assigned for Elijah's safety.

Klaus went to them first. “Are these all the Bloods Elijah spared, Jordan?”

“Yes, sir”, answered the vampire who had stayed behind with the prisoners. “There were a few others but they didn't survive their injuries.”

Klaus looked at the faces until his gaze fell on the man who had threatened Elijah and Damon with the gun. With a quickness that gave Mueller no chance to back away from him, Klaus grabbed his throat and lifted him up.

“You can count yourself lucky that Elijah has first right on you”, Klaus hissed angrily at him. “If it were up to me, I would make you suffer for years before I release you into death. My brother has always been more gracious than I have when it came to his revenge. With a little luck, your suffering will last a few weeks.”

Klaus left completely open on whose side this luck would be. He dropped him to the floor with a contemptuous expression. “Bring them to a separate side room. My brother will join us later. He will decide, what happens with them.”

“Yes, sir”, Jordan replied briskly. “William, come with me.”

“No, he stays here. Take someone else with you”, revoked Klaus Jordan's command. “You are responsible for ensuring that they can’t escape. Do I need to explain what will happen to you if you disappoint me?” Klaus smiled maliciously at him.

“No, sir”, Jordan replied in a hoarse voice before executing his orders.

“William, show me where you found Elijah”, Klaus ordered next.

“Yes, sir.” William went ahead and felt more than a little uncomfortable with Klaus at his back.

Marcel and Rebecca exchanged glances before following Klaus. What was he up to now?

Klaus whistled appreciatively when he examined Elijah's work. “Something must have really annoyed my brother.”

“Elijah said somebody attacked him with a stake”, William said quite shyly.

Klaus turned his attention to William. “Do you know who it was and if he's still alive?”

“One of them has been bitten but the blood loss was not enough that he died from it. No other Blood in the room was injured that way, so I assume it is him.”

“An astute assumption.” Klaus looked at him benevolently. “Make sure he is separated from the others.”

“Yes, sir.” William left in relief.

“What are you up to, Klaus?” asked Marcel curiously and slightly suspiciously.

“Rebekah, please go back to the compound and take Freya with you. You have to relieve Elijah; I need him here with me. Marcel, do you want to go with Rebekah?”

“I'll stay with you”, Marcel replied resolutely. He had no intentions to let Klaus out off his eyes.

Rebekah nodded and left the room, not particularly surprised that Marcel wanted to stay with Klaus.

Klaus turned to hide his smile and started walking. Marcellus was sometimes so predictable. “Well, then you can help me. I'm going to target the group that used stakes. I want you to interview the other group. We have to know who knows what.”

Marcel followed him and Klaus told Marcel about the weapons they had found. Marcel now looked just as grimly as Klaus. New Orleans was still his home and he did not intend to give it to the Bloods.

“We need every blood that holds a high position, is a scientist or has helped to experiment on the boy.” Klaus smiled extremely maliciously when he thought of this group and Marcel replied the same way, he so agreed with Klaus that this group had to pay for their crimes.

Marcel nodded. “I'll also ask if they knew about vampires beforehand.” Marcel laughed softly. “By now everyone should believe that we exist. And we should ask if there is anything else they don't want to tell us.”

“Very good.” Klaus was looking serious now. “It is possible that some of them have taken vervain.”

“So we will refrain from killing them until we know more.” Marcel shrugged.

Klaus sighed in mock disappointment. “It will be difficult for me but I will control myself. It was so long ago that I had a little bit of fun.”

Marcel just rolled his eyes. Klaus’s definitions of fun had always been very different from those of other beings.

*****

A few hours later, Elijah was walking through the door, now in his suit again. His expression was inscrutable at first but then he smiled slightly as he looked at the groups generated through Marcel’s questions.

The vampires, who knew Elijah the longest, looked at each other uneasily before they showed Elijah the same respect they would show a bomb filled with vervain that could explode in their faces at any moment, they kept a safe distance from him.

“Where's Niklaus, Marcel?” Elijah asked softly when he stopped next to Marcel.

“In the next room. He interrogates everyone who attacked us with a stake.”

Elijah paused thoughtfully before he pointed his head at the Bloods. “Who belongs to which group?”

Marcel readily explained it to him. They were on the same side for the moment and it wasn't the right time to play power games with Elijah.

Elijah approached the group that had participated in the experiments on Desmond. His eyes moved from one Blood to another as he memorized their faces. “I want them unharmed. There is someone, who has a higher right to take his revenge on them.”

“Your old enemy?” Marcel looked thoughtfully into space. “Yes, he definitely has the right to decide what happens to them. What do you want to happen to the Bloods that you left alive?”

“Take them to the compound. I'll deal with them when I have more time.” Elijah turned and beckoned one of the vampires who had been serving under Klaus for some time and who came immediately.

“Yes, Elijah?” He asked respectfully.

“I assume that by now we are being watched by all interested parties?”

“Yes, sir.” Ryan knew exactly to which parties Elijah referred.

“Good. Please invite respectfully the appointed spokesperson of every party. Tell them that I am back to New Orleans and that I want to show them some things they have to see.” Elijah looked resolutely at him. “And when I say respectfully, I mean it. Tell them that we face a threat that affects all of us and that we can face only together. Do you know who was given the task of searching the complex?”

“That was me, Elijah.”

“Good, because I want to organize a small tour. You will accompany me and show them everything.”

“Yes, Elijah”, repeated Ryan obediently and then walked away to start carrying out his orders.

Elijah looked at Marcel. “I better tell Klaus that I'm back.”

“Go on, I have everything under control.”

“I have no doubt about that. Thank you for your help.” Elijah made his way to Klaus, carefully avoiding the many puddles of blood. After all, there was no point in ruining his shoes prematurely.

Marcel saw how some faces of the captured Bloods but also of the vampires showed contempt at this display and Elijah's composure and lack of posturing. Idiots! They would learn that Elijah’s deceptive meekness was not synonymous with weakness.

*****

Elijah, who had seen the disdain on the faces, didn't really care what others thought about him. If necessary, he could gain their respect easily enough or more simple their fear.

When he entered the room where Klaus was, Elijah saw what he had expected. Klaus terrorized gleefully his prisoners, who were in various stages of horror and shock over Klaus and accordingly motivated to chat. Surprised but very pleased, he registered that there had been no deaths so far.

“Niklaus, are you having fun?”

Klaus grinned with childlike delight at his brother. “Even very much so. I had so little opportunity to use my interrogation techniques in recent years.”

Elijah just sighed. “And we are all glad about that. What have you found out so far?”

Klaus frowned. “It is really strange. Before they came to New Orleans, a man approached them, gave everyone a wooden stake and advised them, should they encounter in New Orleans someone stronger and faster than they are, to push the stake in the heart of this someone. No one mentioned the word vampire. Of course, they made thoroughly fun of him but no one had the desire to kill him. Only when they came across us ...” Klaus shrugged.

“Was it always the same man who approached them?” Elijah asked thoughtfully.

“Judging from the description yes.”

“Hm, interesting. I plan to make a tour with representatives of the werewolves, witches and human fraction to show them what we are up against.”

“Up against?” Klaus said, slightly confused.

“Do you really think that here is the only place where Bloods gather in New Orleans, brother?”

Klaus’s head snapped up when he remembered the contents of the armoury. “The weapons, there are too many for just the Bloods who were here.”

“Perhaps we discovered their headquarters and their gun storage in New Orleans but we need to find the other bases too, which undoubtedly exist. And for that we need help because there are too few vampires nor can't we get anywhere.”

“What means negotiations with the werewolves, witches and the human fraction.” 

“To which I am much more suitable than you, Niklaus.” Elijah tugged at the sleeves of his jacket. “All parties will sooner talk to me than with you.”

Klaus waved it off. “That's why I asked for your presence.”

“You wanted me here because you wanted me to hold them off your back while you were having fun with this poor creatures, Niklaus”, Elijah replied mildly, looking full of reprimand at his brother.

Klaus growled at him. “You are right, Elijah, okay, I admit it.”

Satisfied with Klaus’s concession, Elijah returned to their conversation. “What else did Ryan discover?”

“There are plenty of cells in the basement, which are sufficient for over 1000 prisoners.”

Elijah snarled. “I saw the same thing out there. They capture people, be it men, women or children.” Elijah looked deeply disgusted. “And when they're hungry...”

“They use them as food. Well, we don't do anything different.” Klaus shrugged.

“In this magnitude and without making differences between adults and children?” Elijah raised his eyebrows. “Tell me, brother, what did you do to those vampires, even before you got Hope, who preferred children as food source?”

“I killed them, as painfully and slowly as I could.” Klaus grinned savagely. “Although I can remember that you were always far harsher on them than me.”

Elijah smiled wolfishly as he thought back on some of the punishments he had visited on those vampires. “I showed them the errors of their way.”

Klaus listened to the conversations taking place in the main hall and suddenly laughed. “You've been away from New Orleans too long, brother. The vampires who came here after you left seem to think that you are pathetic and inadequate.”

“I know.” Elijah snorted amused. “I will deal with them after the representatives of the other groups are gone and we have their support. It always makes such a bad impression when you negotiate in bloody clothes.”

Klaus snickered. “Let us welcome the representatives together. Imagine how relieved they will be when they later realize that they only have to deal with you.” He turned to the thankful Bloods who thought that they were now safe. “Don’t leave, I will be back soon. There is still so much I want to know from you.”

In perfect agreement and in step, the two brothers left the room to begin the negotiations.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got my new laptop, I love it.

Vincent, Declan and Dayla were standing in some distance from the warehouse, every one of them accompanied by a few members of their faction. They watched with no little concern the lively comings and goings through countless vampires.

“And you are sure that this attack was not aimed at either of you?” Vincent asked again. When he first heard that so many vampires had gathered in one place and attacked, he had at first thought that Klaus had given up his years of suspicious restraint.

“No”, replied Dayla, the new Alpha of the werewolves. “All my people are accounted for and they all report the same thing, the vampires ignore them or adhere to the agreements.”

“The human faction has nothing to report either. What about the witches?” Declan added.

“Also nothing.” Vincent cursed to himself. “I don't like that at all, something bad must have happened. It's never a good sign when Klaus retaliates so aggressive and uninhibited.”

“Looks like a vampire is on the way to us”, Dayla said quietly.

Vincent relaxed a little when he recognized Ryan, a vampire who was known for his laidback manner towards non-vampires. “Ryan Lander, a good friend of Josh”, he said softly.

Ryan stopped in front of the leaders of the various factions. “Dayla, Vincent, Declan. On behalf of Elijah Mikealson I invite you respectfully to a meeting, he wants to discuss a common threat. We discovered some disturbing things in this warehouse that pose a threat to all residents of New Orleans, no matter what species or faction they belong to.”

“Elijah Mikealson is back in New Orleans? Since when?” Vincent asked in surprise, that couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Since yesterday”, Ryan replied.

“Is he the reason for this?” Declan asked, who preferred to avoid Elijah whenever possible. In return, Elijah also avoided meeting Hayley's last friend. When they did meet, however, he was always unfailingly polite to him.

“He gave at least the impulse to the attack”, Ryan said with a shrug. “He came back with two humans and a Blood. Whatever information they brought back with them, it made Klaus and Rebekah really furious. They participated in the attack, together with Marcel and Freya. Marcel is still here by the way, he helps with the interrogation of the surviving prisoners.” He knew that it was better to give some information in advance so that everyone involved knew that they would be dealing with irritated Originals.

Vincent swallowed dryly at these news. All Originals other than Kol together in the city and Marcel too, working and fighting together with them? “What about Elijah? Wasn't he part of the attack too?”

“He went in beforehand with one of the humans who came with him. As far as I know, Elijah accompanied him as protection. The attack was initially about the rescue of a child. An Original had to accompany the human so that the child was not injured or killed during the fight to free him.”

Vincent flinched as he heard that. He could vividly imagine the massacre Elijah had inflicted on whoever was down there if he had protected a child. 

“Whose child is he?” Declan asked.

“I don't know, but I believe his father is the guy, who went in with Elijah. I've never seen him before. But he knows the Originals, they were all pretty chummy with him. And by the way, he wasn't afraid of them.”

“Oh great”, Vincent said sarcastically.

“What is the problem?” Dayla asked.

“It is not really a problem, but a human who knows all the Originals so well that they are chummy with him and he is not afraid of them? It's at least unusual”, Vincent explained. “Not to mention four Originals and Marcel involved together in an attack? Whatever is going on here, it is quite serious.” Vincent turned to Ryan. “I accept your invitation!”

Dayla and Declan also accepted the invitation. The leaders of the three factions gave instructions to their companions to wait for them, then they followed Ryan to the entrance, where they were admitted without hesitation.

Vincent was surprised when he saw the amount of kneeling people. It was an unusually large number of survivors for a battle coordinated and carried out under Klaus’s command.

Dayla growled loudly when she recognized the smell. “All of them are Bloods”, she said briskly.

Vincent and Declan stared at each other in alarm then they started to count the survivors.

“All of them?” asked Vincent worried, after he had finished the count.

“Yes.” Dayla stared full of hate at the prisoners. Before the sealing off from New Orleans her pack had suffered quite a bit through the attacks from Bloods.

“So many of them are within our city limits without our knowledge and nobody of us did know about this warehouse either?” Vincent felt suddenly very anxious. That was bad, even very bad. No wonder Klaus and the other Originals reacted so quickly and so drastically.

Until now there had been a certain volume in the warehouse, since both the vampires and the prisoners had been talking quietly to each other. When suddenly all fell silent, Vincent looked up. Most of the present vampires looked suddenly very nervous and all of them looked in the same direction. 

When Vincent followed their eyes, he saw why. Elijah and Klaus walked in perfect harmony through the hall, the dangerous vibes coming from them a clear warning not to mess or play games with them. Vincent shivered involuntarily, this sight brought back really bad memories.

Freya had told him about the last bad quarrel between those two. Seeing them so united after such a short time didn't bode well for the city and this time it didn't even seem to be the fault of the Originals that New Orleans was in grave danger. And that New Orleans was in danger, was now an irrefutable fact for Vincent.

Marcel had noticed Vincent now too and went to him. “Vincent!” Marcel nodded respectfully.

“How deep is the trouble we are in?” Vincent asked resignedly.

“To the neck and rapidly rising.” Marcel nodded at the Bloods. “New Orleans is facing a battle that none of us have experienced so far. And as reluctant I am to say it, we will need the help of the Originals.”

Vincent sighed. “At least Elijah is back to reign Klaus in.” Klaus was always more stable when he shared command with Elijah.

Marcel snorted amused. “This time I wouldn't count on that. Elijah is in his unique way even angrier than Klaus.”

“Oh fabulous.” Vincent felt how he got what he always called his Original-related headache, he hadn’t missed it in the least. He knew the body count Elijah could produce when he was fuming or his family was threatened. On the few occasions, when his brother finally lost his temper, Klaus always took a step back and gleefully enjoyed the show.

Both Originals were now standing before their guests. Vincent knew that they had heard everything but none of them showed any noticeable reaction to the conversation. 

As usual, it was Klaus who spoke first. “Vincent, Declan, Dayla, so lovely of you to accept my invitation.”

Elijah coughed meaningfully.

“How lovely of you to accept our invitation”, Klaus corrected himself without any shame.

“Vincent, how are you?” Elijah smiled at the man who was his nephew's father and whom he regarded as his In-law even if he wasn’t married to Freya.

“Very well, thank you, Elijah”, Vincent replied a little stiffly. Elijah might usually be more affable and easier to handle than Klaus but that didn't mean he felt comfortable or secure in his presence.

“Hello, Declan.” Elijah greeted the leader of the human faction.

Declan only nodded. Although he now knew that Elijah had sacrificed his memory so that Hayley, Hope and his family were safe he still felt resentment when he thought about Elijah and the unwitting part he had played in Hayley’s death.

Elijah frowned when he looked at Dayla. “Forgive me, I know you but I can't remember your name.”

Dayla smiled and tilted slightly her head. “I am Dayla, the new Alpha of the Crescent pack and I never gave you my name. We were both too busy killing the hunters who had murdered the members of my pack. You thought at first I was Hayley.”  
She saw how a look of old pain crossed the face of the Original when she said the name of her old alpha. Elijah had still a good reputation in the Crescent pack, none of them had ever forgotten what Elijah had done for them while they were cursed. The pack knew too that Hayley would have forgiven him for his part in her death. 

“Hello, Dayla.” Elijah took her hand and shook it before returning to the matter at hand. “If everyone agrees, Ryan will join us. It was him who did the initial search of the complex”, Elijah explained.

Vincent relaxed a little more when he heard that, Ryan wasn't a liar. “Will Klaus accompany us on the tour?”

Klaus smirked. “No, unfortunately you have to do without my company. I have important things to do, you know, Bloods to terrorize and make them fear for their life.” With a last nod, he said goodbye.

“Surprisingly enough, he hasn't killed anyone yet during his interrogations”, Elijah said with a shrug.

“Wow, I hope he doesn’t get sick”, Vincent replied, only seemingly worried, and was pleased to see Klaus pause briefly before he moved on.

Elijah glanced aside to hide his amusement. “If you want to follow me?” He made an inviting gesture.

First, Elijah showed them the cells. He didn't have to explain for whom these were meant.

Declan swore softly. “These cells can’t hold Werewolves, witches or vampires but we normal humans are not so lucky.” He shook his head. “How many cells are there and how many prisoners can they hold?”

“I found during my search enough cells to hold up to 1,000 prisoners”, replied Ryan.

Declan cursed apprehensive at these numbers.

"And we have very good reason to believe that this is not the only Blood stronghold in this city”, Elijah added and nodded to Ryan. "Show them the armoury, Ryan."

Ryan obeyed and this time all three leaders of the factions swore extensively when they saw the modernity and magnitude of the arsenal.

“Do you see what I mean?” Elijah asked seriously. “Those are preparations for an invasion, which is in line with the experiences I did make out there. After my confrontation with Niklaus I left the city and travelled all over the country. I was worried about the evolving situation with the Bloods.”

"And Klaus?" Vincent asked thoughtfully, who now had a suspicion what had sparked the dispute between the two brothers. 

Klaus might be a genius and unbeatable when it came to waging war but Elijah was always two steps ahead of him in anticipating dangerous developments and the effects it would have on everything. Not to mention that Elijah was the only Original who had at least a little interest in the wellbeing of humans. Of course, as soon as something affected the safety of Elijah’s family that could change abruptly. But in this case they shared a common goal, namely the security and protection of their mutual home.

“Back then he didn't care much about my opinion and my concerns”, Elijah replied evenly, “but that has now changed. In the past six months I was in five different prison camps to gather information about the Bloods and their plans. The rest of the time I was on the road and frankly, I didn't like in the slightest what I saw, heard or experienced. Out there the situation is a lot worse than the news want us to believe or know about.”  
There was no mistaking how solemn Elijah was about the situation and the danger they were in.

“I suppose the Bloods in those from you visited prison camps didn't t let you go voluntarily?” Vincent said.

Elijah smiled viciously. “I didn't give them much choice in the matter. I killed them all and then liberated the humans. In the last camp I met an old and dear enemy of my family who knew a lot about the origin of the Bloods. He promised to share his knowledge with me. The only thing he wanted from me was help in locating his son.”

Vincent looked thoughtful. He knew very well that the Originals had an interesting approach when it came to letting their enemies live. Elijah let his enemies live as long as they didn’t were a danger to his family, didn’t annoy him too much or because he liked them. Klaus let his enemies live out of spite, negligence or because he liked them. If both brothers let this enemy live and Elijah called him old and dear than it was because of the latter, at least in the case of Elijah.

“The Blood I brought with us told us that Desmond was being held in New Orleans so I promised him my help in saving his son.” Elijah shrugged. “Of course I couldn’t do this behind Niklaus’s back. His reaction would have been very unpleasant.”

Vincent nodded in agreement. He could vividly imagine Klaus’s reaction if Elijah had done this rescue mission without his knowledge.

Elijah talked more about the rescue of the boy and his involvement. Vincent, who knew him a little better than the rest of the leaders noticed Elijah's personal interest in the boy and his father. No wonder Klaus had reacted so favourable to the rescue of the child. 

“What will happen to the boy now?” Dayla asked curiously.

“His father will take him to Mystic Falls, where he will be safe”, answered Elijah.

“Safe in Mystic Falls?” Vincent asked incredulously. From what he knew, the city was a worse hotspot than New Orleans when it came to supernatural events.

Elijah grinned a little. “Hard to believe, but yes, at least when it comes to Bloods will Desmond be safer there than here.” Elijah shrugged. “Mystic Falls is used to supernatural events, the people there have a certain practice in fighting and beating everything supernatural that threatens them.”

“I noticed that you haven't given us the father's name yet”, Declan remarked suspiciously.

“That is correct but I won't mention his name here”, replied Elijah resolute.

“Are you afraid that there are still Bloods here, who can eavesdrop on us?” Dayla asked, looking around troubled.

“No”, Elijah replied monosyllabic.

Vincent knew that this was all they would get from Elijah. Pressing him further on this topic would simply annoy him. There was no point in alienating Elijah because of this unimportant matter, especially if it could mean that Klaus possibly took Elijah’s place in the negotiations. “What is your and Klaus’s plan?

“Would you believe me, when I say that there is no plan? That the cells and this”, Elijah pointed at the weapons, “Was a complete surprise for us too? We just wanted to save the boy. Even after what I saw out there, I never thought that New Orleans was in this grave and advanced danger. There are more strategically important cities I would have taken over first.”

“Fortunately, we are not dealing with you and Klaus as the invaders this time”, Vincent replied rather dryly. “And the Bloods luckily don't possess the knowledge or strategic experience you or Klaus appropriated in the last 1,000 years.”

“Good point.” Elijah looked amused. “In any case, we were rather fortunate in the take-over of this complex.”

“We agree with you.” Vincent and the other two leaders nodded in agreement. “I don't want to imagine what would have happened to New Orleans if you hadn't attacked this place.”

“The question is, how do we want to proceed now? There aren't that many vampires in New Orleans right, and the treaties prohibit us from entering certain areas. Quite apart from the fact that we don't know these areas as well you do.”

“Okay, in this special case we would allow the vampires to go anywhere, none of us would have a big problem with it”, admitted Vincent.

“I am afraid it is too late for that. The Bloods are already deep entrenched in New Orleans. Even with a search, it would be a matter of pure luck or coincidence to find these other bases.   
However, I just saw how easily Dayla could identify that our prisoners were Bloods. The Bloods have to leave their bases, be it for espionage, to organize food or not to attract attention.   
I suggest that werewolves place themselves at strategic points all over the city, accompanied by members of the other factions. As soon as a werewolf identifies a Blood, they show him to their companions and they can follow him.”

Dayla looked thoughtful. “So we could quickly identify other Bloods, we can spot connections, meetings and safe houses. A good suggestion.”

“However, I see a problem. Witches and werewolves can defend themselves against a Blood, my people will have no chance when they are discovered”, Declan objected.

“That's why I suggest real collaboration. We form several groups who work together, the vampire for protection, the werewolf for identification, the witch and / or the human as the local expert of the area.”

“So you suggest a temporary suspension of all treaties?” Vincent looked thoughtful but not necessary unwilling.

“No suspension, an addition. As the treaties back then were signed, none of us expected a situation like this.” Elijah shrugged. “I don’t think it is a good idea to suspend the treaties. It was difficult and annoying enough the last time in getting everyone to sign them and then get to respect and follow them.”

Vincent and Declan grimaced as they remembered the early stages of the contract implementation.

“First we will have to get the support from our people for this addition”, said Vincent and Dayla and Declan nodded. “However, I don’t foresee any particular difficulties as soon as we made it clear to everyone how grim our situation is.”

“Then please get some suggestions from them too, what to do with the Bloods prisoners. Vampires are not suited as prison guards, we will your need help with this.” Elijah had no illusions about what a bad idea this would be.   
“The Bloods have to stay alive, at least for a while, so that we can get through compulsion all the knowledge they have, which is a strength of the vampires. Here, too, I propose a collaboration, namely that one of your people is always present during each interrogation.”

“But interrogations are already underway”, objected Declan.

“No, not really. There are insights, yes, but so far everything we have learned is superficial. Niklaus is currently focused on intimidating and identifying vulnerabilities of the Bloods.” Elijah smiled unkindly. “At this point my brother is interested in psychology, not in knowledge.”

“And nobody is better than Klaus when it comes to finding someone's weak points and using them against him.” Vincent smiled just as grimly.

“Exactly. How long will it take you to gather the support of your people?” Elijah asked.

“Two days”, replied Vincent.

“In the meantime, as a sign of our goodwill, I guarantee you access to the interrogations that are taking place”, Elijah explained.

“You really think Klaus will agree to this?” Vincent asked curiously and a little incredulously.

“After I have given him my opinion and explained the advantages to him, he will come over to my point of view, yes”, Elijah replied calmly. “However, first I may have to put a few vampires in their place.” Elijah then showed his terrifying half-smile, which didn’t bode well for these vampires.

“There are problems?” Vincent frowned, he hadn’t noticed anything unusual.

“Let's put it this way, a few of the vampires who came to New Orleans after I left, struggle to view me as dangerous or take me seriously if I give them orders.”

“Poor guys. Well I’m sure they will learn.” Vincent felt almost sorry for these vampires. “And Klaus will not interfere?”

“Why should he? If they don't respect me, they might one day think that challenging Niklaus is a good idea, too. You know how this will play out for them.” Elijah shrugged. “With me at least they have a tiny chance that they will survive their mistake.  
So, what do you think, we are meeting in two days at the compound to finish our negotiations?” Elijah changed the subject. “Then I will also tell you the name of our guest. I promise you, his name will mean something to you and you will understand why I was so reluctant to give you his name at this place.”

Vincent saw this concession as a sign of Elijah's sincerity. “Okay, this works for me.”

Dayla and Declan nodded in agreement.

“Do you want to be present while I knock a few heads together?” asked Elijah, although he already knew the answer.

“No, thank you”, answered Vincent politely. “I will ensure that every faction will choose people who have the stomach to witness a vampire interrogation.”

“I will give the instructions to let them pass when they come. Please give me two hours to speak with Niklaus and organize everything.”

“Of course, Elijah”, Vincent agreed. He had no doubt that Elijah would get Klaus to see his point of view, he just didn't want to be there for the violence that this argument would undoubtedly involve.

Ryan, who had been mostly silent throughout the conversation, now spoke up. “I will bring you back to your people.”

“Yes, please do that. Ryan, you will take command here as soon as Klaus and I leave for the compound. Josh remains with us until further notice, we need him with us.”

“Why?” Vincent asked alarmed. “Is there something wrong with him?”

“No, he's fine.” Elijah grinned in amusement. “But Josh has a special talent for loosen up tense situations, which we will need in the next two days. There are more old enemies of us in New Orleans. You are not the only ones who need to negotiate for help and support but there is first some bad blood and suspicion that needs to be worked out.”

“I understand. But these enemies of you are willing to talk and negotiate with you?” Vincent asked worriedly. They didn’t need a second front line in New Orleans.

“Yes, no worry, they are not these kind of enemies. Once they have all the information and I could convince them of our sincerity they will help us.” Elijah sighed resignedly. “But first there will be drama, so much drama.”

“And as always, it's up to you to be the voice of reason and appease the heated minds.” Vincent was now amused.

“Yes, unfortunately.” Elijah looked pretty gloomy. “At least Freya will help me out, at least I hope so.”

This was one of the times where Vincent really felt sympathy for Elijah. The poor man didn't have exactly an easy time with his family and their unpredictable habits.


	13. Chapter 13

Elijah watched Vincent and the other leaders leave the warehouse, afterwards he looked how far Marcel had gotten with the sorting of the Bloods. He knew that they would have to clear the warehouse soon. It was only a matter of time before the other bases noticed that any communication with this base had stopped. Until then, everything or everyone that was valuable had to be brought to safety. And he already knew who would carry out this order. But first he had to talk to Klaus privately.

“Brother, do you have a moment for me?” Elijah asked and stopped in the doorway.

The prisoners were very relieved to see him again, because each time this man came in, it gave them a few minutes respite of this terrible creature that terrorized them without mercy.

Klaus stopped short for a moment. Usually Elijah didn't ask him politely for his time, he rather demanded it. “I assume you want to have this conversation under four eyes or should I say ears?”

“This would be a good idea.” Elijah smiled wryly at his brother.

“Is it about the outcome of the negotiations?” Elijah inclined his head. “I guess I won't like what you have to say?”

“At least you'll want to argue with me”, Elijah replied deadpan.

Klaus returned his brother's smile before both men left the warehouse at vampire speed. For the prisoners in the small adjoining room, it looked as if both men had vanished before their eyes and the other prisoners could only see two shadows racing past them. 

At a safe distance from listening ears, Elijah brought his brother up to date.

“You suggested what?” Klaus asked incredulously.

“Complete cooperation and sharing of every information we gather until this crisis is over”, Elijah replied poker-faced. “I described it differently, of course, but that's what it will boil down to.”

“But why so extensive?” Klaus paced agitated back and forth.

“We have to think about the future, Niklaus. Even if we fight back this invasion, what about the rest of the country, the rest of the world? If the vampires, werewolves, witches and humans of New Orleans show that it is possible to unite against the Bloods, we can serve as an example. That being said, it could also mend some of the wounds that still exists between us and this town. One day Hope will come back to New Orleans. Wouldn’t it be better, she returned to a city where not everyone loathes her because of her family?”  
Elijah looked at his brother seriously and he was reminded of the argument that had led to their last separation. Back then it was about possible dangers to New Orleans, this time it was about so much more.

Klaus opened his mouth to say something disparaging but then he remembered the last argument between him and Elijah too. Everything Elijah had predicted had happened in one way or another. He closed his mouth again and thought seriously about his brother's words.

Elijah was also silent and left his brother the time to think about everything.

“I do not like it.” Klaus sounded petulant when he finally broke his silence.

“I know, Niklaus, but what do your experience and instinct as a warlord tell you?” Elijah asked gently. Urging his brother now would be a big mistake and counterproductive.

There was another few minutes of silence between the brothers.

Finally, Klaus sighed. “Do as you see fit.”

“Thank you brother. We have to move the prisoners.”

“I know. What place do you suggest?”

“You know that better than I do.” Elijah shrugged. “After all, I'm six months behind the current events in New Orleans. But I would suggest that we also move all of the computers, hard drives, records etc. away from here. Josh will stay with us at the compound as a neutral third party, he is good in this things. His expertise will be useful in extracting all the information from the different technical devices too.”

Klaus, who knew how his brother thought, started to smile nastily. “I can give you 10 vampires.”

Elijah tugged on the sleeves of his jacket. “And I already know who I'm going to select for this task.”

“Have fun with them.” Klaus grinned broadly.

“As you said, it has been far too long that we have used our special talents.” Elijah returned his brother's evil grin.

The two brothers returned still smiling to the warehouse.

Ryan eyed them first surreptitiously and then rather relieved. The two Originals might had been arguing, but it looked like it didn't came to a physical argument between those two, which was always a good sign.

However, both of them had put on a grin that spelled bad things to come for the near future of some vampires with attitude problems. Ryan had listened to some of the conversations the new vampires had with each other. And if he had heard them, then Elijah and Klaus had overheard them too.

Elijah's punishments had always been more creative than Klaus’s, unless it involved something with bloodshed. Elijah didn’t particularly appreciate it when someone was disrespectful to him. Ryan was curious about the punishment Elijah would mete out at the insubordinate vampires. Of course bloodshed through Elijah was still an option if the vampires in question did not adjust their attitude quickly.

But before he could see what Elijah had planned for them, one of the prisoners' smartphones rang and Ryan curiously picked it up. The name Niklos was on the display and he had listened enough to the interrogations to recognize this name. “Klaus, Elijah”, he called in a sharp voice. The two Originals came to him immediately.

“What is it, Ryan?” Klaus asked warily.

Ryan showed them the display. The two brothers exchanged looks and a whole conversation took place between them in a few moments, which no one could follow except their siblings and maybe Marcel.

Finally, Elijah only nodded and took the smartphone. He saw that it was a video call, so he positioned himself in a way that there was nothing to be seen behind him except the corpses that someone had laid in a corner.

Elijah removed any emotion from his face, then he accepted the call.

*****

Calix was nervous. One of the subsidiary bases in New Orleans had informed him that the main base had completely stopped all their communication. To eliminate the uncertainty, he contacted the chief scientist of the main base.  
It took a few minutes before the call was answered but the emotionless attractive face that appeared on the display was unknown to him. The man had dark hair, brown composed eyes and at most 30 years old.

“Who are you?” Calix asked arrogantly.

“I am Elijah”, the man replied unmoved. There was no recognizable accent in his voice to indicate which region or country the man was from. The controlled voice, however, sounded too old and experienced for the youth of his face.

“Where's my chief scientist?

A fleeting smile appeared this time. “He’s either busy answering our questions or he's already dead.”

The stranger moved the smartphone slightly aside and Calix turned pale when he saw the number of the dead and condition of the bodies. “Who are you?”

“Ah, now we come to the important questions. Very good.” The stranger Elijah sounded quite condescending. “Luther Swann sends his greetings. You will be happy to hear that he and his son are finally reunited. Both are now safe and under our protection.”

Calix visibly swallowed when he heard that name. “Are you one of his men?”

“No, I belong to a different group.” This time his quick smile was ice cold before the face went unreadable again. “We call ourselves the Originals.”

Calix frowned puzzled, what a strange name for an organization.

“I see that you have never heard about us”, Elijah noted, who could apparently effortlessly interpreted the reactions on Calix’s face.

"Why should I?" Calix asked haughty, who was desperate to win back the upper hand in this conversation.

“Oh, I promise that will change quickly. The attack on your base was a favour to Swann’s group but we pursue our own goals too.” Calix saw how Elijah’s eyes briefly moved to the side and then nodded with his head without showing any emotion on his face.   
“As engaging as this conversation has been, we should end it now. I will remember this number. I am sure, we will speak again soon and one day we will definitely face each other personally. However, it is very questionable whether you will survive our encounter.”

Suddenly Calix heard an inhuman scream that ended in a choked gurgling, and then so much blood splashed over Elijah's face that it could only come from a dead person. His face, however, remained totally bored and unimpressed, as if something like this was happening all the time to him. It didn’t look as if bothered him all this blood in the slightest.

The last thing Calix saw before the connection between them closed, was how the face of Elijah changed in an indescribable, eerie way and then Calix stared in so ancient and unhuman eyes that he didn't have a description or explanation for it.

Deeply shaken, Calix leaned back and wondered from where this enemy had so suddenly come.

*****

“Nicely done, brother”, praised Klaus impressed, who had killed one of the Bloods who didn’t possess any vital information in the bloodiest way he knew.

“He had no idea that we existed. I saw it at the end in his eyes. Whoever prepared the Bloods with the wood stakes, it wasn't from him.” Elijah gave his brother a significant look.

“So there is a third party involved and we have no idea who she is and what she wants”, replied Klaus, who understood his brother's allusion.

“How likely is it, that this third party uses the Bloods, be it for testing our defences or as cannon fodder?” Elijah's question was meant rhetorical but Klaus answered it so as if was meant seriously.

“Very likely. But Calix knows now too that we exist”, Klaus said.

“So be it”, Elijah replied indifferently. “I saw his reaction, the change of my face completely unsettled and shocked him. His further reactions over this reveal will divulge us more about the tactics he uses, when he gets surprised over something.”

His eyes wandered over the shaken faces of the Bloods, who had watched the brutal execution. The Bloods looked down, no one wanted to draw unnecessary attention, especially not from this vampire in his expensive suit they had previously thought of as weak and harmless.

“And he has no idea who we really are or about our other skills or abilities”, Marcel added.

“Exactly, Marcel. The surprise effect is still on our side. But we should leave this base as soon as possible.” Elijah's eyes went to one of the vampires who had shown so much contempt to him. “You, come to me!”

The vampire followed the order of the Original only very reluctantly. “Yes, Elijah?”

With such a swift movement that no one except Klaus and Marcel could follow it, Elijah thrusted his hand in the vampire's chest and enclosed his heart with it. “Yes, Sir! You haven't earned the right to call me by my first name.”

The vampire choked at the pain but he didn’t dare to fight back against Elijah. Finally, he did the only thing he could, he lowered his eyes submissively and said what the Original wanted to hear. “Yes, sir!”

“Maybe there is still hope for you.” Elijah pulled his hand out without holding the heart of the vampire in it. “You will bring every computer, hard drive or record you find to our compound.” Elijah eyed with a cold smile all the vampires on after another, who had talk so badly about him, and who now desperately avoided any eye contact with him. “I am sure you will find enough helpers who are eager to make up for the catastrophic impression that I won from them.”

Klaus grinned broadly, his brother in a mood was always fun to watch and for his taste a much too rare occurrence.

Marcel rolled his eyes. It seemed that Elijah’s respect problem hat vanished rather abruptly and permanently. As much as everyone else called Klaus the drama queen among the Originals, Elijah could undoubtedly compete with him in the right mood. And even if these idiots might not know it, Elijah was in a merciful mood because they were still alive. If they had done this with Klaus, they would not have gotten off so well or so easy.

Elijah pulled his handkerchief out of his breast pocket and began to clean his hands, seemingly absent-mindedly. In a mild voice that didn't deceive anyone, he turned to the vampires, who were still standing motionless like a mouse before a snake. “I am convinced you all have enough work to do.”

All vampires except Klaus, Marcel and Ryan jumped apart. They would now use every excuse to escape Elijah's frightening attention.

“Nicely done, brother”, repeated Klaus amused and thoughtful.

Elijah smiled wickedly. “I know this expression. What are you planning?”

“I want to ask Kol a little favour, which will divert general attention from New Orleans quite nicely. I think it is time we as the supernatural part of this world are due to making a statement, which the Bloods won't forget so quickly.” Klaus’s eyes glittered, he definitely felt inspired after Elijah’s demonstration.

“I'm all ears, Niklaus.”

Elijah, Marcel and Ryan listened interested to Klaus as he presented his idea to them.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am getting a new cat next week, so updates will be coming a little more irregular than before, because she will of course be my top priority. I am so happy right now.

Damon left the library, satisfied that the reunion with his old friends had gone so well. After several hours of narrating and remembering, it was almost as if the many years apart had never happened.

However, he was surprised to see Rebekah waiting for him in the patio and not Elijah. “Where's Elijah?”

“Klaus asked for him, he needs Elijah’s negotiating skills. Don't worry, Desmond stays protected. As long as your son is here, one of the Originals will be here.”

Damon snorted. “I'm not worried about that. Is everything ok?” 

Rebekah had a worried expression in her eyes, which spoke of difficulties. “I only know that Klaus is worried about something.”

“And if Klaus is worried, the rest of us should go into panic”, Damon added dryly.

“Did everything go well?” Rebekah watched Bonnie, Caroline and Alaric leave the library as well. Everyone stopped short when they saw her but after a brief nod as greeting they returned to their respective rooms.

“Yes, they forgave me.” Damon smiled wryly. “Of course, this time it spoke for me that it wasn't for selfish reasons that I lied to them or because I only thought about myself. Alaric and Caroline could understand that I only did it to guarantee the safety of my son.”

Rebekah hummed in agreement, she could understand why Damon had been so secretive about this.

“I have to go back to my son.” Damon looked at Rebekah, asking for her understanding.

“Go to him. Nobody will get past me, Damon.”

“I have no doubt about that.” Damon nodded to Josh, who was also in the courtyard. He liked the young vampire, who remained so calm in the craziness of the Originals' life. If Josh survived the next three decades, he would undoubtedly come far.

When Damon quietly entered his room, Jimmy was sitting in the same armchair as Damon previously. Damon checked his son's position on the bed. It looked like Desmond hadn't moved an inch in the past few hours.

“He didn't wake up once”, Jimmy said quietly.

“Thank you, Jimmy.”

“Everything went well?” Jimmy eyed Damon worriedly. He was aware of how concerned Damon had been about this reunion.

“Everything did go great. Why don't you go back to your room and rest? I'm staying with Desmond.”

Jimmy just nodded. He knew how precious Damon considered every moment alone with his son. He cleared the armchair and left the room.

Damon sat in the armchair and started to doze. An hour later he startled up when Desmond woke up screaming from a nightmare. He immediately ran to him, took him in his arms and began to whisper words of comfort in his ear.

Desmond sobbed and hugged his father. It was a long time before he calmed down a little.

Damon didn't let go of him until Desmond finally stopped shaking. “You were dreaming but now everything is fine again.”

“What if the Bloods come here to kidnap me again?” Desmond asked apprehensive.

“Even if they could find this building, they could never take you with them. Do you remember Elijah? He has siblings who are just as dangerous as he is and one of them is always here to protect you. They wouldn’t escape alive.” Damon felt his son's tremors diminish even more.

“How do you know Elijah?” Desmond finally asked uncertainly, more interested in hearing his father's voice than out of genuine curiosity.

Damon sighed, a question from his son about his past, a day he had always feared would come. “There's a lot what you don't know about me. Elijah and his family are parts of my past that I never wanted to tell you about. You know, I was as big a monster as the Bloods but that changed when I met Elena.”

And Damon started telling his son about his past. Part of him knew that for Desmond it was like listening to a fairy tale that his father told him but he also knew that Desmond would always remember it.

As for Desmond, he listened attentively to his father, and even if he sometimes had difficulty recognizing the story as truth, he did notice the pain his father felt when he told him everything.

“So you were like Elijah?” He finally asked.

Damon chuckled. “Not quite, he was always much older and more powerful than me.”

“Can I trust him?”

“Yes, you can trust him. He promised me that he would take care of you and protect you. Elijah is famous for the way he always tries to keep his promises.”

“Where will we go, when we leave here? Will it be safe there?” Desmond had almost forgotten what it was like to feel safe.

“I want to take you to my hometown where I was born and grew up and to which I returned again and again in all these decades. Vampires can react very territorial when it comes to the place where they lived as humans or that they view as their home. And yes, we will be safe there, Mystic Falls has its own methods of dealing with threats.”

“Will you come with me?” Desmond asked softly, though already he knew the answer.

“I want to come with you but I may have to stay in New Orleans a little longer.” Damon smiled sadly.

“Why?” Desmond asked desperate. He never wanted to get separated from his father again.

“Do you remember how we talked about how your tissue samples could heal the Bloods from their mutation?”

Desmond nodded, his eyes wide.

“It looks as if you owe your immunity to the prions to me.” Damon then told him about the cure and what it meant for Damon. “I never found the reason for your immunity because I approached the reason for it scientifically. However, after I did take magic into account, everything became clearer. Silas' cure prevents me from becoming a vampire again. You have inherited this immunity against the vampirism from me.” Damon frowned. “However, I still don’t understand why my cure protects you from the prions, there is no correlation between the two conditions.”

Desmond thought about his father's explanation. “So I'm a freak?”

Damon's mouth twisted, he didn't like that word, especially if his son called himself that. “In Mystic Falls you will be the most normal of them all, because all the students in the school you are going to attend, are coming of different supernatural races. None of them will give you a second look because you are only human to them. You can even use the name, you were born with.” Damon looked at Desmond seriously. “But you must never tell them that your real name is Salvatore and that you are my son.”

“Why should they know your name?” Desmond asked in surprise.

“Because the school is named after me and my brother”, Damon replied and grinned.

Desmond looked surprised at this revelation. “Will nobody know who I am?”

“My friends Alaric and Caroline will know who you are and perhaps a few others, who can be trusted with this secret.” Damon chuckled.   
“I assume Hope Marshall will know who you are too. Her family will tell her to keep an eye on you. She knows what it is like, to have to keep the name of your own family a secret or how it is, to never be able to defend the name of your father if someone talks bad about him. Because if you do this, his enemies will use this knowledge to hunt, to hurt or kill him. She can help you to live with this!   
I still have friends in Mystic Falls and they will protect you by any means, who are available to them.”

A little calmed by his father's words, Desmond felt his stomach growl. “I'm hungry. Are you making me your pancakes?”

“Let's go to the kitchen and I'll see if we have the necessary ingredients for pancakes. This could be a bit of a problem in a household where almost only vampires live.” Damon ruffled his son's hair. “And if you want I can tell you about how I learned to make these pancakes.”

Father and son left the room and Desmond looked around with wide eyes as they went down the stairs. “Are your friends rich?”

Rebekah, who had been under the stairs, laughed brightly when she heard this question and Desmond, who hadn’t seen her before looked startled at her.

Damon put a hand on his shoulder. “Don't worry, this is Rebekah, she is Elijah's younger sister.”

Rebekah crouched down and held out her hand to Desmond, who hesitantly took it. “It's nice to finally meet you, Desmond. Yes, my family is very rich because we have been living for a very long time and because Elijah, who manages our finances, is an excellent businessman.”

“How old are you then?” Desmond asked nosily.

“Under normal circumstances a man asks a lady never a question like this.” Rebekah smiled, she was completely enchanted by Damon's boy. “But because it's you, I'll tell you.” She whispered the number in his ear and he looked at her in awe.

“Wow, you don't look that old at all.”

“That is a very nice compliment. Thank you, Desmond.” Rebekah was amused by the candour of the boy, which reminded her so much of Damon’s. “Damon, is there anything I can help you with?”

“I wanted to make pancakes”, Damon explained. “I mean if you have the necessary ingredients.”

"I wouldn’t worry about missing ingredients. Elijah made sure that someone filled our refrigerator and our pantry with everything a child likes to eat.”   
Rebekah laughed. “And the way I know my brother, he definitely made sure that under the bought groceries are vegetables, fruit and other healthy things.”

“Yes, this definitely sounds like Elijah. Thank you, Rebekah. Are Elijah and Klaus back yet?”

“Not yet, but the negotiations have gone quite well. Desmond, the kitchen is over there.” Rebekah showed him the way. “Why don't you help your father? Go ahead and get out everything Damon needs.” She didn't want the boy to hear what she was telling Damon next.

“You two only want to lead a conversation as adults and you don't want that I listen to it.” Desmond marched off insulted.

Rebekah and Damon saw the laughter in each other’s eyes. Damon was relieved that there was still enough childlike innocence in Desmond to make these kinds of comments.

“He is adorable, Damon.” Rebekah watched the boy go longingly.

Damon put a hand on her shoulder. “One day, Rebekah! Our deal stands. When the time comes, will you get my blood and then you will be able to get your own children.”

Rebekah put her hand on his. “I thank you for this.” Then she got serious. “Elijah spoke to this Calix Niklos.”

Damon tensed. “How did it come to this?”

Rebekah told it to him and then too what else had happened. “Elijah first scared the scrap out of Niklos and then he did said hello from you. Niklos was obviously not thrilled that you and your son were now free and together again.”

“Can I assume that Elijah led this conversation into his unique and inimitable way?” Damon grinned. He could vividly imagine how this exchange had gone. No other than Elijah could come across so menacing and so scary in such a polite and calm manner.

“According to Klaus, Elijah was in one of his more extreme moods and thus in top form.” Rebekah giggled to herself, she was a little sad that she had missed that. “Klaus explicitly told me that he helped too.”

“Which means there was bloodshed involved.”

Rebekah shrugged. “It is Klaus.”

Rebekah and Damon followed Desmond into the kitchen and Rebekah sat down with Desmond while both watched Damon prepare the dough for the pancakes.

“Does Damon make good pancakes?” Rebekah asked interested.

“He makes the best ones in the world”, Desmond announced proudly.

“Maybe then you should make more dough, Damon”, Rebekah suggested mischievously. “If they're really that good, the smell will lure everyone out.”

Damon eyed Rebekah with narrowed eyes. Somehow, he felt that he would now be making for the rest of the morning pancakes for all residents and guests. “Could you please fetch Michael too? I’m sure he is very bored in his room and in dire need of fresh air.”

"Michael is your Blood friend, yes?” Rebekah shrugged. “Why not? I will bring him to you.”

Rebekah left the kitchen and went to the room Elijah had shown to her. She knocked and entered without waiting for answer. A man jumped up from the bed. “Hello Michael, I'm Rebekah.” She eyed the Blood coolly. “Damon asked me to bring you to him.”

Michael looked at the blond, petite woman, surprised that Damon sent her to get him. “Isn't he afraid that I'll do something to you?”

Rebekah rolled her eyes over this imaginary superiority of the male gender before she suddenly stood in front of Michael, gripped his throat, lifted him up effortlessly and pressed him against the nearest wall. “I am an Original, you idiot! You should better be afraid of me. Do you have any idea of what I can do to you if I want to?” She contemptuously dropped him to the floor.

Michael stood up, now much more respectful and rubbed his throat. “Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.”

“This is much better. Listen, Desmond is with his father. I will take you to Damon and you will behave. Should you in any way threaten or try to harm one of our guests, I will take you away from there. As soon as the boy can't see anymore, what happens to you, I will tear your heart out and then watch how you die.”  
Rebekah smiled maliciously. “I know that you've already met Elijah. Believe me, he is by far the most patient and pleasant of the Originals. Klaus and I on the other hand are known for our explosive temperament and our brutality.”

“I hear and understand you.” Michael swallowed dryly. Luther had mentioned Klaus but never had he said anything about Rebekah. Her assertion that Elijah, who was one of the scariest men he'd ever met, should the nicest of the Originals, was more than a bit disturbing. How did Luther know all these very scary people? And what did it actually mean to be an Original?

“Very good.” Rebekah opened the door and waved a hand at him. Michael followed the silent order.

When they entered the kitchen, Desmond ran beaming to him and hugged him. “Uncle Mike, Dad makes his pancakes.”

“Oh good, I really missed the pancakes of your father.” Michael returned the hug but was always aware of Rebekah's alertness and her threat. “Luther!” He nodded to his old friend.

His friend interrupted his preparations and looked at him. “Call me Damon because that's my real name.”

“Yes, that's one of the questions I have for you.”

“I can imagine it.” And so Damon told his story a third time.

“So you were like me?” Michael asked dazed.

Rebekah snorted contemptuously. “Not even close. We are dead, you are still alive. Even the youngest vampire will always be stronger, faster, and more dangerous as the strongest Blood. And Damon had a reputation that rivalled in some parts even Klaus’s, for his age he was considered extremely powerful.” Rebekah grinned wickedly.

“The Originals are immortal and they have powers that even the elders of their children can never match”, explained Damon patiently.

“Are you one of Rebekah's children?” asked Michael distraught.

"No, I come from Klaus’s line," Damon replied, grinning suddenly mischievously when he thought about a joke, which would annoy Klaus greatly if he ever found out about it. "Desmond, in a very bizarre way, Klaus is your grandfather. And because of this you're in a way related to all of the Originals."

Rebekah started laughing. “Oh, Desmond, when you see Klaus, call him grandpa! I want to see Klaus’s face if you do that.”

Damon was amused by the scheme, but also a little worried. “What will Klaus do if Desmond calls him that?”

“Nothing at all. Klaus will know who it is from. He'll never take it out on Desmond.”

Desmond looked uncertain. He didn't want to anger Elijah's and Rebekah's brother.

"Don't worry, sweetie. You have no siblings and cannot understand that, but as a younger sibling it is your duty to annoy your older siblings”, Rebekah assured him and snickered amused.

Damon snickered too as he remembered Stefan. "Yes I know, but it works the other way too when you are the older sibling. I think Elijah will get a blast about it too after he gets over his first annoyance." He had finally made enough dough and started to bake the first pancakes.

Rebekah sniffed delighted. “They smell delicious.”

Josh was the first one to poke his head through the door because he was still guarding the courtyard. “It smells very good.”

“Sit down and join us.” Damon was amused. He bet with himself that Bon-Bon would be the next one drawn to the smell.

But it was Jimmy who came next through the door, followed closely by Freya, who sniffed as delighted as Rebekah had done.

"I hope you made enough for everyone," said Freya. “When Elijah or Klaus wants to do something nice for me they sometimes compel chefs to cook. But as delicious as these dishes are, there is no comparison to this smell, it smells divine. ”

“Rebekah already said that I should make enough dough”, Damon replied dryly. The first pancake was ready and he gave it to his son. Desmond ate him and relished the taste, it had been too long since his dad had cooked for him.

A few minutes later Bonnie, Caroline and Alaric came through the door too.

“I knew I smelled something familiar”, said Bonnie and sniffed.

“I have been able to improve them”, Damon said with a grin.

“I’m curious, prove it to me.”

Damon grinned, then said to Desmond. "Let me introduce my friends from Mystic Falls to you. This is Bonnie, my best friend, she is your godmother, even if she was never registered as it. She was the one, I did make my first pancakes for, and she suffered quite a bit before I got it right. This is Caroline, she is your aunt because she married my brother. And this is Alaric, my other best friend. ”

Caroline and Bonnie immediately gathered around Desmond, while Alaric wisely held back, he watched instead Jimmy and Michael. He nodded kindly to Jimmy, whom he had already run into but his eyes were reserved when he looked at Michael, whom he easily identified as a Blood.

Michael had never before met a human, who knew what he was and scrutinized him so fearlessly and unimpressed.

Damon, who had seen the exchange of the looks, chuckled softly. “Don’t bother to intimidate him, Michael! Alaric is not afraid of you nor is he afraid of any other Blood. He is used to dealing with completely different threats.”

Rebekah snorted because of the allusion to the Originals but didn't want to say anything further while Desmond was there. Alaric smirked, flattered by Damon's comment and Rebekah's snort and sat next down to Rebekah.

Caroline and Bonnie were still cooing over Desmond, who looked slightly embarrassed. Damon watched amused and didn't think of saving Desmond from them. Frankly, he didn't dare to get in Bonnie's or Caroline's way over this.

Twenty minutes later Rebekah raised her head and looked at the kitchen door. “Excuse me for a moment.” She got up and left the kitchen.

Damon and Josh watched her go before Damon focused on his pancakes again and Josh took over Rebekah’s job in watching Michael and making sure that he remained in control of himself.

Caroline, who sat next to Desmond while his other side was occupied by Bonnie, also raised her head briefly before she chatted further with Desmond.

Freya and Bonnie talked to Jimmy, who intrigued asked them questions about witchcraft and their skills. They looked up briefly too when Rebekah got up.

Michael, who was well aware that Josh watched him, was fascinated by the strange dynamics and reactions of these beings. They knew each other good enough to know that Rebekah left because there was someone out there but they were not overly worried about her.

Then there was the way they treated each other, it was with a certain caution, reserved for former enemies, where one wrong word could cause violence. Luther or Damon, as he wanted to be called, was no exception from this weird tension.

And although violence was a constant possibility, at the same time there was a strange familiarity between all parties, as if they had also fought together. They might not be friends yet, but they were on the way there.

The only exceptions were Desmond and Jimmy, who were treated by everyone equally friendly. Still, Michael had the impression that at least one person or circumstance was missing to complete the dynamic.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My new cat is so pretty, cute and friendly. I am already completely in love with her. It’s so nice to have someone again, who gets in your way and demands your time. I really missed the feeling.

Rebekah left the kitchen to check out who she had heard entering the house, she was relieved to see that it was only her brothers and Marcel. All three were dirty and their clothes partially bloody, but Rebekah seriously doubted that it was their blood. “Clean yourself up before you go into the kitchen. Everyone is having breakfast and we don't want to scare Desmond either.”

Marcel and Klaus nodded wordlessly and went upstairs.

Elijah hesitated briefly, then said to Rebekah. “Ask Freya to put a spell on the kitchen. A few minutes after us, will come a lot of vampires with several prisoners and equipment, which we got from their base. It could get noisy and I don't want Desmond to hear anything but we vampires should still be able to hear everything that is going on outside.”

“Of course, Elijah.” Rebekah looked at her eldest brother. “You look worn-out.”

Elijah smiled wearily. “It has been a very exhausting 24 hours. It's been a long time since I've fought in such a short time against so many enemies, had to negotiate with New Orleans’s difficult factions, who still hate us and then had to deal with disrespectful vampires, who did forget how dangerous I can be.”

“And your day is not over yet.” Rebekah looked at her brother sympathetically.

“Exactly.” Elijah looked at the kitchen. “How is the mood among our guests?”

“Pretty good actually.” Rebekah shrugged. “Damon made pancakes and now that the stomach of everyone is filled, it makes them lazy and content. And there is still enough for the rest of you too.”

“Good to know. See you soon, Rebekah.” Elijah followed Klaus and Marcel up the stairs.

Rebekah went back to the kitchen and whispered something in Freya's ear, who nodded, spells like this could she nowadays in her sleep.

“Do you want to see how I cast a spell, Desmond?” Freya asked gently.

“Oh yeah.” Desmond was thrilled.

Freya got up and went to the kitchen door. She raised her hands and spoke several words in a language so old that nobody except maybe Bonnie could understand them. A visible wave emanated from her hands, which spread out over the entire kitchen and then formed a dome around the fringe of the room before becoming invisible.

“That is so cool. What does your spell do?”

“No one can longer hear what's going on outside, unless you have superhuman hearing such as Rebekah or Caroline.”

“Can you do a spell like that too, Bonnie?” asked Desmond fascinated.

“Not in this form, my magic works a little different from Freya’s”, Bonnie replied, “but it's definitely an impressive spell.”

“Maybe, if you want, you could accompany me to my studio. We could talk und compare our techniques and methods of magic”, suggested Freya, unsure how Bonnie would react to her offer.

“With pleasure, I think it will be fun”, Bonnie said sincerely. 

Caroline had told her a little about Freya but she wanted to get her own impression of Elijah’s and Klaus’s human sister. She knew that Freya could act as ruthlessly as her vampire brothers when necessary but maybe a part of this ruthlessness that every Originals possessed, came from the time in which they were born and lived. That being said, she was always keen to learn new types of magic or new spells, she didn’t know yet.

“My brothers and Marcel are back, they will soon join us”, said Rebekah seemingly casually.

Michael watched with fascination how Damon's friends from Mystic Falls suddenly tensed up in a subtle way. The only one who stayed completely calm was Damon. Apparently Michael would soon meet the last person that made this strange group and their dynamic complete.

At first, a dark-haired man with a hard expression came through the door.

Rebekah got up and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek. “My husband Marcel”, she introduced him to everyone.

Marcel nodded in greeting before his eyes caught Alaric's. “Long time no see!”

Alaric shrugged. “Luckily! No offense!”

“None taken”, Marcel said coldly. Alaric was only human and as he had met him as they searched for the bones of the Hollow, he hadn't been very impressed with him. The blond female vampire was too young to be a danger to him but why were Hope’s teachers here at all? He sat down next to his wife and his eyes shifted from one person to another as he judged their general dangerousness.

Damon and his companion he had already dismissed as harmless. He didn't know the dark-haired woman who sat next to Freya but she was only human too, just like the rescued boy, who sat beside Freya and eagerly talked with her and the dark-haired woman.

Marcel frowned as he identified the man, who Josh so alertly watched, as a Blood. However, he didn't make the impression that he was a prisoner. Why was there an enemy of the Originals in their kitchen, had breakfast with everyone and seemed very interested in everything that was going on around him?

Michael guessed that the man was also a vampire when he saw the evaluating looks with which he looked at everyone. However, he was definitely not the one who made Damon's friends so jumpy.

But as a young blond man walked through the door, the tension soared up instantaneously. With a smug smile, he took the seat at the head of the table closest to the door, the other end of the table was still free. “Hello, everyone”, he greeted. 

Damon, who stood up as soon as the man had entered the kitchen, put wordlessly several pancakes on his plate. 

“Thanks, Damon”, the man said. “For all of you who don't know me yet, I'm Klaus.” He then looked at Michael with the coldest eyes he had ever seen except from Elijah.

The table remained quiet as none of his guests returned the greeting. With a shrug, Klaus turned his attention to his plate, took one pancake and started to eat it with his hands. 

The conversations haltingly again started but everyone looked again and again covertly at Klaus as if to make sure that he remained seated on his chair.

Freya and Rebekah exchanged glances across the table. They both knew that Klaus had not intentionally spoiled the mood and his concentration on the pancakes was his method to calm everyone down a bit but it was simply not working.

Desmond didn’t know enough about that what had happened in the past between Klaus and the others, but he found the behaviour of the others rude.  
Before the others came, he and Rebekah had discussed how and when they should best play the prank to Klaus. Now he saw Rebekah and Freya communicate wordlessly and he know about what.  
He looked uncertainly at his father, who had stayed out of the planning the prank. The only thing he had said when Desmond asked him, when to do the prank was, to trust his instincts about choosing the right time and to choose someone, who then backed him up.

“Niklaus, nice to see you haven’t lost your aptitude to ruin everyone's mood”, came suddenly a calm voice from the door. Elijah went to the other end of the table and sat down on the free chair.

Desmond felt the mood in the room subtly change and suddenly knew who he wanted as his back up. Now he simply had to wait for the right time.

Michael was surprised how the general uneasiness instantly decreased a little. After meeting Elijah, he would never have thought of him as someone with a calming influence on others.

“Damon, could I please have some of your pancakes too?” Elijah asked placidly.

“Of course, Elijah.” Damon put some of them on Elijah's plate before sitting down again.

Unlike Klaus, who had used his hands, Elijah took knife and fork and started to cut his pancakes to pieces. Everyone watched more engrossed as was warranted through this ordinary deed.

“I know that most people here know each other or at least have heard about each other but I think everyone should introduce themselves properly at least once.” Elijah put the first piece in his mouth, started chewing it thoroughly and only spoke again, after his mouth was empty. “As the oldest being in this room I will begin. My name is Elijah, I am a vampire and the oldest Original.”

“I am Freya, a witch.” Freya gave Elijah a sardonic look. “Actually I am Elijah’s older sister but because my siblings thought me dead for over 1000 years, Elijah sometimes tends to forget this little fact or he simply wants to annoy me, which is a possibility too.”

Elijah only smirked at Freya and didn’t deny her accusation.

“I'm Klaus, the first hybrid, a mixture out of a vampire and a werewolf. We were turned at the same time but as human I was Elijah's younger brother, so yes, he is older than me”, Klaus introduced himself.

“I am Rebekah, also a vampire and the younger sister of those two. We have another younger brother but he and his wife don’t live in New Orleans.”

“If it depends on age then it is probably my turn now. I am Marcel, Rebekah's husband and the most powerful being in this room.” Marcel looked arrogantly at everyone.

Damon gave Marcel a thoughtful look before turning to Klaus. “Wow, I just hope your daughter is a little more humble than your son.”

“Fortunately for everyone, Hope comes personality wise more after her mother than after me”, said Klaus with a shrug.

“And thank god for that”, Alaric murmured.

For a moment Klaus looked like he was going to reply something nasty to Alaric but then he just grinned and gave Marcel a challenging look. “Of course, if she were in this room, your sister would be the most powerful being in it.”

“I think I'm the next one who gets to introduce himself. I'm Damon Salvatore and got turned into a vampire through Katherine Pierce in 1864”, said Damon smirking. “I became human again 20 years ago through a magical potion which prevents me from ever becoming a vampire again.”

Marcel frowned at the mention of Katherine Pierce and of the magical potion and looked at Rebekah questioningly, who nodded in confirmation, whereupon Marcel suddenly looked very thoughtful.

“Alaric Saltzmann, I used to be a Hunter, who hunted and killed vampires, but now I'm the principal of a school for supernatural beings”, Alaric said calmly.

“Jimmy Saint, former FBI agent, now I'm a Hunter and fight against Bloods”, Jimmy said equally succinctly.

“Michael Fayne, a good friend of Damon or Luther, as I knew him all this years. Damon and I worked together, I always watched his back, if we worked in regions, who weren't exactly safe. A year ago I became first ill, then Patient Zero and then I turned into the first Blood”, Michael said.

Klaus looked strangely understanding for the last part at Michael before he smirked. “Welcome in my home! Don’t do anything stupid or there will be consequences for you.”

Michael looked first at Klaus, then at Elijah before he nodded. “I don’t have the intention.”

“I'm Bonnie Bennett, I am coming from a powerful and very old line of witches and together with Alaric, who never would admit to it, I am Damon's best friend”, said Bonnie. She looked at Alaric who only scoffed but he didn't fool anyone who knew him and Damon.

“I am Caroline Forbes, a vampire, co-principal in the same school as Alaric and I am Damon's sister-in-law. I was married to his brother Stefan, who is now unfortunately dead.”

Marcel now knew why Hope’s teachers were here, it was because of Damon. Why had he never heard about him before?

“By the way, you met Stefan, Freya”, said Elijah softly. “He helped you with my and Klaus’s rescue, back when the coven of the Strix had us captured to disconnect us from our sire-lines.”

“Oh, I remember him, he was very helpful”, said Freya, looking at Damon.

Marcel frowned again as he remembered the younger vampire and Klaus’s friendly reaction to him even if he was paranoid at the time.

Damon smiled sadly. “He was always kinder as me.”

“Oh yes, he was”, said Klaus laconically and Damon glared at him.

“I'm Josh, also a vampire, still relative young and yet Klaus’s Second-in-Command.”

“I thought Elijah is Klaus’s Second-in-Command?” asked Jimmy slightly confused.

“Actually, Klaus and Elijah are both equal in rank”, Damon said dryly. “Klaus just loves it more, when the general attention is concentrated purely on him, while Elijah prefers to stay in the background, so that no one will ever see him coming until it is too late. Of course, that works only the first time.  
However, when there are finally peace talks or more precisely, if there are negotiations at all, most prefer Elijah to lead those. Hm, I wonder why that is the case.” Damon grinned cheekily at Klaus, who glared annoyed at him. Elijah just sighed.   
“I always preferred to view them as two people, who share a brain but also occasionally act independently and against each other, which made it so much easier back then for me to deal with them and anticipate their reactions.”

“That's actually a good description of their weird relationship”, Josh said surprised.

Klaus turned to Josh and raised an eyebrow while Elijah turned to Damon and stared rather expressionless at him.

“See what I mean”, said Damon completely unimpressed and pointed with his hand at Elijah and Klaus.

Rebekah and Freya snickered and even Marcel grinned reluctantly.

Now it felt like the right time was there, and what was important too, Desmond could finally thank Elijah properly for his rescue, what was long overdue. “I'm Desmond Swann, Damon is my dad.” Desmond got up, went to Elijah and hugged him. “Thank you so much for my rescue.”

Elijah swallowed hard and for a short moment the controlled cold facade broke, which he always presented to everyone, before he returned the hug. “It was my pleasure, Desmond.”

Still safe in Elijah's hug, Desmond turned to Klaus and said with a straight face but a devilish twinkle in his eyes, which reminded Bonnie, Caroline, and Alaric too much of Damon. “Many thanks to you too, Grandpa!”

Klaus looked baffled at Desmond, he opened and closed his mouth repeatedly and seemed for the moment completely speechless. But then his eyes narrowed, his face worked and he glared at Rebekah, who smirked pleased at her brother.

Elijah started to chuckle and closed his arms protectively around Desmond, who he felt was slightly trembling. “Nicely done, sister! If Kol were here now he would be so proud of you and a little envious too.”

Klaus glared annoyed at Elijah but when his eyes fell on Desmond they softened considerable and he started to laugh, his facial features relaxed and for a moment everyone could see how truly young he had been when his parents turned him and the others into monsters.  
“You are welcome, grandson. You really are your father's son! That was strategically perfect executed. You clearly inherited your father's talent but then, he was always a pesky opponent.”

Damon smirked at this and because it came from Klaus, he rather took it as praise. 

Marcel was a little surprised too at this hidden compliment. And it wasn’t only simply, because Klaus wanted to appease everyone, he meant every word. 

Desmond smiled proudly and returned to its previous place, happy about the successful prank.

The remaining tension now broken, the conversation got livelier and everyone took part in it, the latent hostility was gone, at least for now.


	16. Chapter 16

Davina listened as Kol sang loudly and crookedly to himself in the shower, she shook her head in amusement. She had already showered and dressed up. When she heard the ringing of a cell phone, she checked who it belonged to. It was Kol’s and the caller was Klaus.

Davina made a face. The relationship between them had improved, but Klaus was still not one of her favourite people. Reluctantly, she took the call. “Hello, Klaus. Kol is in the shower. Should I tell him to call you back?”

“He wouldn't do that anyway”, said Klaus, rather amused.

“Why would our brother not to want to call you back, Niklaus?” heard Davina Elijah’s voice in the background.

“Is Elijah back in New Orleans?” Davina asked excitedly. “Give him to me!” She heard Kol turn off the shower. She knew that he had heard Elijah's name and was now listening alertly.

“Yes, since yesterday. Moment!”

“Hello, Davina, how are you?” Davina could now hear Elijah's voice on the phone.

“Good, thank you. All our calls have been going to your voicemail for a month. Kol was worried about you, and I am too”, Davina added reproachfully.

“I know, I’m sorry. The places where I stayed, were very remote and had hardly any reception, and my phone was temporarily taken away from me.”

“Who would survive it to take your phone away from you?” Davina asked in surprise and not a little incredulously.

“Okay, I allowed them to take it, I had to stay in my role of a helpless victim.” Elijah’s voice was dry. “Bloods don't allow their prisoners to keep their phones in their camps. They don’t want them to call for help.”

“You've been in a prison camp of the Bloods?” Davina was horrified.

“In several of them. It was very informative and interesting. I was for four weeks in the last one, before I left it to get my phone back. Of course I couldn’t go without making my displeasure clear.”

Davina rolled his eyes. In Elijah-speak this meant, the conditions in the camps had been terrible and his escape bloody. “I suppose the camps no longer exist?”

“None of them and the humans all got to safety, before you ask. In any case, I broke out the day before yesterday and since then it has been a little hectic for me.”

Davina grinned a little. Elijah had sincerely apologized for what he did to her and since then had tried to build a good relationship with her. Surprisingly enough, she found out that he was an attentive listener and had given her good advice more than once when she and Kol had difficulty communicating. When Elijah said ‘a little hectic’, everyone else would get a mental breakdown. “Why are you back in New Orleans?” 

“In the last camp I met an old enemy of our family. He asked me for a favour and I helped him find his son who was held captive in New Orleans. Klaus helped me with the rescue, and in doing so we came across a worrying problem that needs now our full attention.”

Davina frowned. Elijah or Klaus rarely had the habit of helping their enemies unless they were more than enemies to them. “And when you say ‘an old enemy’ you mean...”

“There used to be disagreements between us but we were able to put them behind us. However, Kol could get irritated when he hears his name.” Elijah sounded a little hesitant now. “The two had a couple of clashes in which they hold nothing back. But the real problem is his first wife's brother, it was him, who killed Kol the first time.”

“Okay, thanks for the warning, Elijah.” Davina was worried now. “Did the man have anything to do with it?”

“No, he didn't and he has the best alibi in the world for it. Klaus was with him and guarded him. It's a little complicated.” Elijah sighed. “In any case could it open old wounds by Kol.”

“Then why help him at all?” Davina was confused.

“Like I said, we put our differences behind us and we as family owe him the one or other favour. Through Hope we still have close connections with Mystic Falls and its inhabitants, some of which are now in New Orleans, because they wanted to see their old friend again.”

Davina swallowed. “I understand.” Kol had told her a lot about what had happened in Mystic Falls. “It's Damon Salvatore, isn't it?” She heard Kol cursing softly.

“Yes. Kol told you about him?”

“Well, he told me his side of the story”, Davina said reluctantly. Nobody had to tell her that there was always two sides.

Elijah did not go into it but continued to explain. “In the course of this rescue we found out that the Bloods plan to take over the city. Negotiations are already underway with the other factions to counter this common threat together. In any case, Klaus and I wanted to ask Kol a favour. We'd like to send a message to the Bloods.”

“Oh, okay.” Davina fidgeted anxious. She and Kol had never told his siblings about their skirmishes with the Bloods in the past few months. Kol had said that Klaus, but also Elijah, would react very upset when they found out about it.

“Davina? Is there something you want to tell me?” Elijah asked, his voice sounding suspicious now.

Davina cursed inwardly. The downside to the better relationship was that Elijah now knew all her cues if she wanted to avoid a topic.

Kol came out of the bathroom. “Give him to me!” he said seriously. Davina passed the cell phone on with relief and Kol switched on the loudspeaker so that Davina could continue to hear everything that was being said. “Hello, Elijah.”

“Hello, Kol.” Elijah’s voice was tense as he switched the topic. “Did you and Niklaus have an argument?”

Kol snorted. Of course, his honourable brother would never ask his wife this question. “It was about you. When I couldn't reach you, I called Klaus and asked if he knew anything. He said no. When I asked him if he didn't want to look for you, he only said, in time you'd show up again. There was a heated exchange of words and we haven't spoken to each other since.”

Elijah only sighed. “Of course you didn’t. You heard everything?”

“Yes, I have.” Kol hesitated. “How is Damon?”

“Better now that he has his son back. He's changed a lot.” Elijah’s voice sounded amused now.

“If you say so. What is the message you want to send to the Bloods?” Kol would take every opportunity to harm the Bloods, and it was a good way to divert attention from the previous topic of the conversation.

“Has something happened to you or Davina, we should know about, brother?” The suspicion in Elijah’s voice was back.

Kol recognized this particular tone in Elijah's voice and the use of the word ‘brother’ in this context wasn’t a good sign either. Kol knew that his brother would no longer be satisfied with excuses. “Both, Davina and myself have been ambushed more than once in the last few months by Bloods. None of them survived and Davina’s injuries were minor, but the situation in Denver is getting more and more dangerous.”

Now Klaus could clearly be heard in the background, as he demanded his cell phone back from Elijah, his voice sounded angry.

“Do you want to speak to Klaus?” Elijah asked calmly, no obvious trace of anger in his voice, which of course didn’t mean much with his brother.

“No, better with you”, said Kol hastily.

Elijah chuckled slightly. “Niklaus, please, let me talk to Kol.” Klaus complained a little but finally fell silent again. “Kol, you know that this topic isn't over for Klaus, right?”

“Yes, I know.” Kol groaned slightly.

Elijah laughed again. “During my visits to the various camps, I learned that the Bloods have some kind of embassy in Denver.”

Kol snorted contemptuously. “Hardly. They killed all the previous residents and then took possession of the building. Now a blood-red flag is waving in front of it and nobody dares to come too close to the building. They claim that the laws of men no longer apply to them and that they are the new top of the food chain. The news stations in Denver had a field day with this.”

“I know, that's from where Klaus got his idea. What do you think about paying a visit to this embassy? I mean if the laws of men no longer apply to them, they are subject to the supernatural laws. And regarding the top of the food chain, well, they never met us.” Elijah’s voice was dark.

“Sounds like I will have a lot of fun.” Kol grinned broadly and bloodthirsty, which made Davina roll her eyes at him.

“There are two conditions, or should I say requests. One comes from me, the other from Niklaus.”

“Then give me your request first.”

“If there are humans in the building, you will not harm them and you will make sure that they can escape safely.”

Davina smiled. “No problem, Elijah, I'll make sure, Kol complies with this request.”

Kol frowned at her playfully. “Consider your request fulfilled, Elijah. What is Klaus’s request?”

“The message is not only intended for the Bloods but also as a sign to the supernatural part of society.”

“A call to arms?” Kol smiled grimly.

“In a way or more precisely the information, that the Originals now want to dedicate their attention to the Bloods. Do you have a suggestion?”

“There is a nice big lawn in front of the embassy.” Davina stepped back in and smiled thoughtfully. “I could use magic to burn your family seal into the lawn. Everybody recognizes it and it is a message in itself.”

“This is a good idea but it would put you in danger.” Elijah sounded concerned now and Klaus grumbled something similar in the background.

“Thank you for your concern, Elijah, but I can take care of myself”, said Davina with a fierce smile.

“I know that, Davina, but I would prefer if you weren’t alone out there while Kol takes care of the Bloods in the building”, Elijah firmly contradicted, he now spoke as the head of the family.

“I've made friends with a couple of vampires who live here. If I asked, they would surely protect Davina”, Kol suggested, he shared Elijah’s concerns about the safety of his wife.

Now it was Davina’s turn to groan. “Okay, you worrywarts, you win.”

“That sounds better already. So you're both in, brother?” Elijah wanted to made sure.

Kol looked at his wife, who nodded resolutely. “Leave the TV on tomorrow, there will be spectacular coverage over Denver.”

“Do you two want to stay in Denver afterwards or will you come back to New Orleans?” Elijah asked hesitantly. “Maybe it would be safer for you in Denver, New Orleans could develop into a war zone within the next few days.”

“Davina and I will discuss it.” Kol hesitated a moment. “I'm not a fan of Damon, but he had nothing to do with my first death, so I'll be civil with him if I should come to New Orleans. Who else is in New Orleans?”

“Thank you, Kol.” Elijah sounded relieved. “Alaric, Caroline and Bonnie are here from Mystic Falls, and Rebekah, Marcel and Freya are also here.”

“So the whole family is in New Orleans?” asked Kol, now very gleeful.

“Exactly.” Elijah sounded a little cross.

“You have my sympathy, brother.” Kol laughed and hung up, then looked at Davina. “What do you think?”

“First get dressed, Kol, you are very distracting.” Davina kissed her husband on the cheek. “Then we will discuss if we go back to New Orleans, stay here or go somewhere else.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took longer because I had to rewrite the chapter a few times but now I am finally satisfied with it.

Elijah was content with the current mood in the room, everyone showed themselves from their best side. The conversation he and Klaus had with Kol and Davina before they came downstairs had also gone well. However, he would talk to Kol about the fact that he had concealed his problems with the Bloods from his family.

Klaus and Caroline sat close together and paid no attention to anything else as they whispered to one another. Elijah did his best not to have to hear what the two of them were saying to each other.

Freya and Bonnie were also sitting next to each other, beside them Jimmy and Desmond, who listened raptly to their shop talk and kept asking questions.

Damon, Alaric, and Michael also talked. Alaric listened as Damon and Michael spoke about that what had happened to them in the meantime. He still felt a little reserved about the Blood but in the end the transformation hadn’t been Michael’s fault or choice. He assumed that a part of Damon thought about his own turning.

Marcel and Rebekah sat down with Josh, Marcel wanted to make up with him. However, this time Josh didn't want make it too easy for Marcel, this uncaring disregard of his free will had hurt him deeply.

As for Elijah, he primarily listened to what was happening in the basement, which turned out to be a good idea. The witches and werewolves had turned up to attend the interrogations. Although Elijah had informed the vampires that this had been so decided, some of the vampires denied access to the interrogations.

Elijah scowled when he heard one familiar voice, apparently some people were just plain unteachable. He sighed and got up. It looked like he was going to ruin two of his suits in one day. “Please excuse me, there are a few misunderstandings that have come up downstairs and I have to clear them up.”

Klaus looked up. “Perhaps it would be best if you remove these misunderstandings permanently.”

“That was my intention, Niklaus.”

“Do you want my company?” Klaus looked a little dejected that he had to break up his conversation with Caroline.

“No, I think I can do that on my own. Please continue to dedicate yourself to your guests.” Elijah smirked, his brother was sometimes so transparent. And as long as Caroline was in the room, he had no qualms about leaving Klaus alone with the others.

Alaric got up. “If you don't mind, I would like to accompany you.” He was curious what the exchange of Elijah and Klaus was about and he also wanted to make sure that the Originals weren't planning an unpleasant surprise for them.

“I have no objections.” If Alaric went with him, the biggest likely cause of a dispute was no longer in the kitchen. Elijah looked at Rebekah, who nodded slightly, she would make sure that everything remained peaceful between Marcel and Klaus.

As soon as the two men were out of the kitchen, Alaric asked. “What kind of trouble I’m getting into?”

“Oh, this trouble is for me. A few vampires relatively new to town are having trouble following my commands. They don't view me as a capable leader or a serious threat”, explained Elijah.

Alaric stopped in surprise, then began to laugh until he coughed. “Oh man, but they know you're an Original, right?”

“Somehow they don't seem to get it.” Elijah was equally amused. “I gave the ringleader a chance to adjust his attitude, perhaps I was too kind to him. He didn't use his chance, now I have to make an example out of him.”

Alaric rolled his eyes. He knew the kind of examples Elijah usually delivered. “So it's going to be bloody.” Elijah just smiled inscrutable. “You're still a scary dude.”

Alaric had to admit to himself that it felt strange to go voluntarily down the basement of the Originals. As soon as they were in the basement, Alaric could hear loud and angry voices.

Elijah, who heard a little more than Alaric, growled slightly. Alaric looked at Elijah from the side and decided to fell a few steps back. It was always better to keep a safe distance when an Original got annoyed with someone.

When Elijah turned the last corner, he already saw what he expected. Witches, humans and werewolves faced vampires and it looked like the argument could escalate any second in something more serious.

“Silence”, he ordered sharply. His voice was quieter than the arguing voices, but it got easily through the noise. The arguing parties fell quiet and when they recognized Elijah, they all moved apart to make place for him.

Elijah didn't stop walking until he was standing between the two antagonistic parties. “What is the problem here?”

“You promised that we would be allowed to join the interrogations”, snarled a big werewolf, who was already in the middle of the transformation.

“And I keep my word”, answered Elijah coolly. “It seems that some of my vampires misunderstood my orders, but now I'm here to make my orders explicitly clear to them.”

Alaric, who had stopped on the edge of the crowd, winced. Those vampires had actually been stupid enough to defy Elijah after he had given his word?

The witches, humans and the werewolves, who hadn't changed yet, looked uncertain at each other. They heard the dark promise in Elijah’s voice but they didn’t know who it was meant for.

The now completely transformed werewolf growled and jumped at Elijah, who reflexively threw up his arm. When the wolf struck its teeth in Elijah’s arm, the only sound Elijah made was a grunt of pain.

With his free hand Elijah grabbed cruelly into the neck fur of the wolf until the wolf howled in pain and opened his jaw. Elijah then threw him with full force against the next free wall, the wolf fell to the ground, where he remained unconscious and motionless.

“Is anyone else here who wants to attack me?” Elijah asked with a smile. Everyone shook their heads unanimous and slightly frightened. In such close quarters had the Original every advantage. “Very good.”

Elijah now turned his back on the witches, humans and werewolves and looked coolly at the vampires who stood in front of him. His gaze stayed on the vampire, whose voice he had recognized as the spokesman. “You, come to me!”

The vampire, now commanded for the second time within a few hours to come to Elijah, obeyed even more reluctantly than the first time.

“What is your name?”

“Jack”, the vampire replied reticent.

“What orders did I give you regarding the presence of witches, humans and werewolves?” Elijah asked further.

“That they can be present at the interrogations, but I think that's a mistake”, Jack replied hostilely.

“Hm, and why?” Elijah eyed the vampire curiously, his voice extremely mild.

“Because they should be content with what we give them. They don't have to know everything!”

Elijah heard the grumbling behind him but ignored it for the moment. “Niklaus and I have a different opinion to that than you; when we want to be victorious we have to face this threat together. This means that everyone gets the same access to each information!”

“Everyone knows that you talked Klaus into it.” Jack stared at him with hatred and contempt. “Without you, he would never have agreed to this. You are a coward, too afraid to fight alone.”

The other vampires who until now had stood in Jack’s vicinity, backed now away from him.

“Nobody can persuade my brother to do something he doesn't want to do or when he doesn’t understand the reason for it. Or do you want me to say to him that you think of him as spineless?” Elijah smiled gently when he asked this question. Jack turned pale.

“You don't need to answer this question. And Niklaus is not the brother you should fear.” With a loose hand movement Elijah hit off the head of the vampire in a way that it ended up on the ground in front of the witches, humans and werewolves.

“I promised the other factions that they would be present at all interrogations. Does someone else have objections to the tactical decisions made by me and my brother?”

Like the witches, humans and werewolves before them, the vampires shook fearful their heads.

“Then I would suggest you start with the interrogations immediately. After all, we have to prevent an invasion.” Elijah’s voice was deeply sarcastic.

Alaric watched with amusement as all these powerful supernatural beings ducked their heads like scolded children and then hurried on their way. You could say what you wanted about Elijah, but he knew how to manage people. No wonder, after all he had plenty of practice with Klaus.

Finally only Elijah, Alaric and the still unconscious werewolf, who had meanwhile turned back into a human, remained. 

Elijah went to the werewolf and crouched down next to him. He tore his wrist open with his teeth and gave the werewolf his blood. The injuries healed and the werewolf woke up dazed. When he saw the Original above him, he backed away in fear. “You don't have to be afraid, but it is better for you to go and leave New Orleans for a while. Perhaps you should go on an extended vacation or visit your family if you have any, who lives out of town.”

Elijah got up and looked at Alaric. “Let us go back upstairs.”

The werewolf got up and stumbled towards the exit.

After they had walked a few steps, Alaric asked. “Why did you first heal him and then send him away?”

“He bit me but I can't afford to be incapacitated through the effects of a werewolf bite. So I have to ask Niklaus for his blood”, Elijah explained patiently. “He will want to know what happened to me and we both know how my brother reacts when someone from his family gets hurt in situations like this.”

“Good point.” Alaric knew Klaus’s reactions in cases like this only too well. He noticed that Elijah took his time in returning to the others.

When Elijah entered the kitchen, all vampires and Michael began to sniff, the smell of fresh blood too strong so as not to notice him.

When Klaus’s eyes fell on Elijah’s bloody arm, he got up and asked furiously. “What happened?”

“A misunderstanding that was resolved satisfactorily for all parties”, Elijah replied calmly and allowed Klaus to take his arm. However, he scowled when Klaus tore off the sleeve of his suit and shirt.

When Klaus examined the injury, he growled angrily, his eyes turned yellow and his fangs protruded. “This is a werewolf bite! Who dared to attack you?”

Desmond watched with wide eyes. That was the first time he'd seen what a vampire looked like when he transformed.

Elijah noticed Desmond’s reaction. “Please, Niklaus, let it be! It was an understandable overreaction.”

Klaus snarled again and his eyes fell on Alaric. “I suppose you won't tell me either who did this, right?”

“I'm on Vervain, sorry, Klaus.” Alaric smirked at Klaus.

Klaus grumbled, but when his gaze fell on Desmond, he pulled himself together and put on his human facade. “Let's go upstairs, Elijah, so I can heal you!”

“Thank you, brother.” Elijah knew that Klaus just didn't want Desmond and their visitors to hear them argue. He had a few hours of persuasion ahead of him before Klaus would give in to him and forget this incident.

The two vampires left the kitchen and Caroline asked worriedly. “What happened down there, Alaric?”

Alaric told them what had happened in the basement.

“Is such a forgiving behaviour normal for Elijah?” Jimmy asked curiously.

Rebekah and Freya exchanged looks and Damon snorted. “If it serves a higher purpose for him, then yes. But I would never count on it that he will held back a second time.”

“Vampires triggered this incident through their provocations, so Elijah was lenient this time”, agreed Rebekah.

“In addition, Elijah still has a soft spot for werewolves”, Freya said with a sad smile.

The mood grew sombre as anyone who had known Hayley remembered her.

“Elijah will need a few hours to talk Klaus down from murdering the guilty werewolf”, said Marcel. “What do we do in the meantime?”

“Come on, Desmond, Jimmy, I'll show you our house”, Rebekah suggested. And I want to show you also a couple of good hiding spots and secret passages where you can hide in case of an emergency, she added in her thoughts.

“I think, it's time to thoroughly examine Ava”, Freya said.

“Why?” Bonnie asked and Freya explained that a witch had told Elijah and Damon that there was something wrong with the Bloods. Interested in this riddle, Bonnie joined Freya.

“I'm going to look at the hard drives brought from the base of the Bloods”, Josh said, rubbing his hands together. He had far too seldom opportunities to use his computer skills he had so long studied for.

“Then I'll clean up the mess here.” Damon started collecting the dirty dishes.

“Let me do this, Damon. You cooked, I will take care of the dirty dishes. Michael, you will help me!” ordered Caroline.

Damon shrugged his shoulders. “Thank you, Caroline. I’m tired so I will lie down for a couple of hours.”

“I'll call the school to see if everything is okay”, said Alaric, before Caroline got the idea to demand his help.

“You can help me too”, Caroline said quite bossy to Marcel.

“One of us should monitor the interrogations while Klaus and Elijah are busy with each other”, Marcel replied hastily. As soon as he had fled the kitchen, Damon and Caroline grinned mischievously at each other.

“Nice manoeuvre, Caroline. I am proud of you!” praised Damon.

“I learned from the best”, said Caroline. “And you really should lie down.”

“I was up all night to watch over Desmond”, Damon replied with a shrug and yawned. “I'll see you in a couple of hours.” Damon left the kitchen too.

“Can I also come up with an excuse?” Michael asked hopefully.

“No”, answered Caroline with a smile.

“Damn it.” With a resigned sigh, Michael gave in and began to help Caroline.

“Now we have time that you can tell me all about yourself. Start with how you met Damon! Just consider it a test run for later when either Klaus or Elijah ask you their questions. I am kinder than them!”

“I'm not so sure about that.” Michael granted her wish and began to talk.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Got a new DSL connection and there were some problems with it. I had no internet for a week so I couldn't post anything. However, I wrote a sequel for Hostile Takeover that I will probably post over the next week.

Rebekah showed Desmond and Jimmy at first the freely accessible parts of the house. She also showed them where they could find the Originals' rooms should it become necessary.

“Desmond, did you know that in your room exists an access to a secret passage?” Rebekah asked mysteriously.

“No, really?” Desmond’s eyes shone enthusiastically.

“Our whole house is criss-crossed with secret passages and hidden rooms, known only by me and my siblings.” Rebekah looked meaningfully at Jimmy, whose eyes widened briefly and who then nodded, he had understood her message.

“Will you show me?” Desmond asked eagerly.

“I was hoping you would ask. But before we start, I need a promise from you. Apart from your father, you mustn't tell anyone about these hallways and rooms, especially not Michael.”

Desmond’s eyes grew serious and a little sad. “I promise it!”

Jimmy, like Desmond, knew why Rebekah wanted that promise. “I promise too. Is there anything else we should be aware of?”

Rebekah regretted ruining Desmond's mood in this way but it had to be done. “Never go in the basement.” Rebekah looked at Jimmy. “This applies to you too, Jimmy.”

“Because of the Bloods?” Desmond asked uneasy.

“No, they are locked up and cannot harm you anymore but down there is an enormous tension. Not only have we vampires in the basement but werewolves, witches and humans too, it's an explosive mix. The vampires know that you are under our protection, Desmond, but Jimmy doesn't have the same security. And the other factions don’t know you at all. I will not say that they would deliberately hurt you but like I said, tensions are running high.”

“I promise”, Desmond said earnestly and Jimmy nodded. He could assess the risks better than Desmond and knew he had to be careful.

“Then we'll start with your room.” Rebekah rubbed excited her hands. She was thrilled to explore the secret passages of the house with Desmond. Firstly, it allowed her to spend more time with him and secondly, it was nice to see everything through the eyes of a child. It had been so long since she felt like a child.

*****

Ava watched through the lattice window of her cell as Vampires led a lot of Bloods down the hall. Every one of them looked shocked and very scared, Ava could imagine why only too well.

Ava listened awhile carefully but everything remained reasonably quiet, she could hear the murmur of voices but to her relief no screams.

If she was honest with herself, she felt a little bored so alone in her cell. However, that changed when a larger group of men and women passed her cell door. A few looked over at her but no one spoke to her. Ava didn't think they were vampires, they walked without the unnatural movements that she associated now with vampires.

Shortly after her cell door the group was held up by vampires and she was able to watch the quickly escalating argument. She hoped that there would actually be a fight, because it could only benefit her and the other Bloods.

Then she heard a voice she recognized immediately, it was Elijah. She watched as he silenced the arguing parties with one word. She felt a little better when she noticed the terror but also a certain respect that everyone clearly felt for Elijah. The Originals seemed to have a special status in this to her so unknown world.

However, as one of the men began to transform in a wolf before her eyes, she was once again surprised and shocked. It seemed like vampires weren't the only species she'd never heard of.

As the wolf, or should she better say werewolf, attacked Elijah, she wished that this beast would kill him. She cheered at the bite and hoped for more damage but the ease with which Elijah defeated the wolf left her kind of disappointed. And the way Elijah dealt with the defiant vampire made her swallow hard.

Within a few minutes the fight, she had hoped for, had been prevented through Elijah. She observed with interest how Elijah healed the werewolf and then sent him on his way. This random kindness astonished her, she wouldn’t have thought him capable of that, after all, the wolf had attacked him. 

When Elijah turned to leave, he glanced shortly at her but ignored her otherwise.

The other man who had come with Elijah had watched everything rather indifferently, nothing he saw seemed to surprise him. But she found it interesting that the bite of a werewolf could incapacitate Elijah if he didn’t get blood from his brother. The only question was, why could Klaus’s blood heal a werewolf bite and Elijah’s couldn’t.

As soon as the two were gone, everything was quiet again in front of Ava's cell, she sighed a little. But it wasn't long before she heard footsteps coming down the corridor. She expected them to pass her cell door but this time they stopped in front of her door. The door opened and the blonde woman called Freya, Elijah’s older sister, came in. She was followed by a dark-haired older woman Ava had never seen before.

Ava remembered that Elijah had looked at Freya when he told about Layla’s recommendation. It seemed that she was the witch, which would examine her.

“Do you remember me?” Freya asked coldly.

“You are Freya”, Ava replied.

“This is Bonnie, she's a witch too but her skills go in a slightly different direction, so we both will examine you”, Freya explained. “Bonnie, this is Ava!”

Bonnie nodded to her. “Hello Ava!”

“Please hold still and don’t fight it! The probing might be a little uncomfortable but if you fight me it will get worse for you. Not because I want to but because I have to spend more energy and then I can no longer proceed carefully.” Freya’s voice was harsh but not unkindly.

Ava nodded and swallowed fearfully. Like Layla, Freya grasped her head but the strange feeling was now many times stronger. Ava didn't know if it was because Freya was more thorough or simply more powerful than Layla.

It was uncomfortable but not really painful and faster than she had thought, Freya let go of her and stepped back from her with a worried expression on her face.

“Huh, that's strange!” said Freya thoughtfully. “Do you want a look, too, Bonnie?”

“Yes, thank you, Freya.” Bonnie stepped up to Ava. “Please don't fight me either!”

Again Ava felt hands clasping her head. The feeling was a little different but just as strong as with Freya, it actually seemed to have something to do with the strength of a witch.

Bonnie abruptly let go of her and stepped back from her. “That can’t be!” She looked disturbed.

“You feel it, too?” Freya asked seriously.

“Yes.” Bonnie looked at Ava carefully. “Let me try something else! You know, what expression is, Freya?”

“Yeah, but I've never tried it. Can you control it?”

“Yeah, don't worry, I had lessons from Silas personally”, said Bonnie absently as she had to concentrate to practice that particular kind of magic.

Ava felt the atmosphere in the cell change and become more oppressive and threatening, she shuddered. She had also seen Freya grimace when Bonnie gave her teacher's name.

Bonnie’s hands clasped her head again and this time it was more painful than before, but Ava still had the feeling that Bonnie was careful and didn't want to make her suffer unnecessarily.

This time it was almost 15 minutes before Bonnie let go of her.

“Oh man!” Bonnie's face was grey. Ava couldn't tell if it was because of the effort or what she'd found out. “In fact, it's worse than I thought. We need blood from her and from every Blood who is here. Not much, only one cannula from everyone.”

“I know what you have in mind”, Freya said with a grim face. “I will arrange everything. It will be difficult and very dangerous for us to perform this spell. Are you ready for this?”

“I don't think we have much of a choice”, Bonnie replied just as grimly.

Without saying another word to Ava, both women left the cell, leaving Ava very confused and rather scared.

Perhaps half an hour later, a vampire entered Ava's cell to draw her blood.

*****

Josh enjoyed his task. First he transferred all the information from the various hard drives to his laptop. He paid special attention to hidden files but to his surprise they only existed on one hard drive. Strangely enough, it was not that of the chief scientist but of a quite low ranking scientist.

Josh frowned confused the more he read through the files. Josh noted the name of the scientist and texted it to Marcel, asking him to interrogate him more extensively than the other scientists and if the opportunity still existed, to thoroughly search his desk. 

Then went Josh through the other hard drives. He worked concentrated and completely absorbed in his task for several hours until someone hold a blood bag under his nose. Josh suddenly realized he was hungry and looked up to see who his benefactor was.

Elijah grinned at him. “You know that you are allowed to take a break in between, right, Josh?”

“I know but I totally forgot the time.” Josh stretched himself, although as a vampire he no longer needed to. “Thank you, Elijah!” He sank his teeth into the blood bag and drank.

“Found anything interesting?” Elijah asked after Josh had finished his meal.

“More weird than interesting. There is a scientist who works on something completely different than everyone else.” Josh frowned in confusion. “It reads more like he's doing a study on the Bloods as the test subjects. I have already informed Marcel about him.  
In his notes he made a few references to Desmond, but only on the side, as if he wasn't particularly interesting to him. He didn't seem to have been involved in the experiments either.   
A few number groups are mentioned over and over again, as well as a few names and some obscure terms but I can't see a connection between them. I will throw them into the room at the next meeting to see if anyone else had ever heard them.”

“Very good, please do this.” Elijah looked at his wrist watch. “It may answer a few questions I and Klaus have.”

“Which questions?” Josh asked suspiciously.

“We feel like there is a third party in this game that is hiding behind the Bloods”, Elijah explained calmly. “Maybe you found their double agent among the Bloods.”

“But he's a Blood too”, Josh contradicted doubtful.

“Which means that there is either a secret grouping within the Bloods or his loyalty to this other group exists since several years and takes precedence over every sense of belonging he feels for the Bloods. Layla said that there is something wrong with the Bloods. Perhaps you have found more clues as to how the Bloods came into being. Damon could tell us much but we haven’t found out everything yet. Please load it onto a USB stick and keep it safe!” Elijah commanded.

“Yes, Elijah. Do you want a copy, too?”

Elijah looked hesitant at first, then nodded. “Can't hurt!” He waited patiently for Josh to finish and hand him the stick. “Thanks Josh. And don't forget to take breaks.”

“Okay, Elijah.” Josh concentrated again on the files and seemed to have completely forgotten about Elijah. With a smile Elijah left Josh to his work.

*****

Michael and Caroline washed the dishes together and tidied up the kitchen. 

Michael quickly realized that Caroline was a force to be reckoned with. She wanted to know everything about him and Damon, about Desmond, about the years he and Damon had worked together. Even in his time as a prisoner of the Bloods Michael had never been so extensively and thoroughly interrogated, although he had to admit, Caroline did it in a very charming way.

When the kitchen was tidy again, the two of them sat down at the table where Caroline continued her interrogation, or as she called it, conversation.

“And you are sure that you are nicer than Klaus or Elijah?” Michael finally asked, slightly desperate.

Caroline chuckled. “At least I'm not going to resort to threats like ripping your heart out or your head off”, Caroline replied dryly. “Although that's more Klaus’s style. Elijah will rather terrorize you in his calm polite way or simply compel you.”

Michael shuddered at the thought. “Whom of those two you find scarier?”

Caroline looked thoughtful. “I am not afraid of Klaus. As for Elijah...” Caroline hesitated. “If I ever hurt Klaus in a way that Elijah can't forgive, I'll be dead. Elijah doesn't bother with threats when it comes to his family. He will fight, kill or sacrifice everything for them, up to and including his life.”

“It's a little hard to believe, he makes such a cold impression on me”, replied Michael, puzzled.

Caroline looked uncomfortable now. “Elijah is for a lot of reasons the calmest and most reserved of the Originals but he is the one who holds this family together too.”

“And what about you and Klaus?” Michael decided to turn the tables.

“We have an interesting relationship.” Caroline smiled thoughtfully. “It has an advantage if you are immortal, as a rule you have enough time to get closer to each other.” Caroline got serious. “But I would never rely on it, not anymore, because sometimes you just get lucky ...”

Michael sensed there was more to that remark, but he didn't bother to ask. “How did you meet Damon?”

Caroline made a face. “Damon was a monster and an absolute asshole when I met him. He had switched off his humanity and knew no consideration, no compassion, only the fulfilment of his goals. I hated him for many years because of what he did to me.”

“What did he do to you?” Michael asked hesitantly.

“Water under the bridge”, said Caroline dismissively. “He apologized to me and more importantly, after falling in love with Elena, he started to change. He was still a bastard but he saved my life a couple of times, he saved the lives of all of us. Without him we would not have survived the Originals or any of the other threats that haunted Mystic Falls.”

“It's hard for me to believe Damon was once a monster”, Michael shyly admitted. “I mean, he was always so calm, he hated violence and always tried to solve any conflict peacefully.”

Caroline laughed. “Oh, believe me, Damon was and is incredibly dangerous if you piss him off. He is intelligent, clever and very effective when it comes to knocking out his enemies. He had quite a reputation in the vampire community. There's a reason Klaus and Elijah respect him.”

“Okay, if you say so”, said Michael slowly. “Do you still have any tasks that I can help you with?”

“No, thanks for your help. I'll take you back to your room so you can rest.” Caroline looked at him carefully. “Your imprisonment has left its mark on you.”

“I know, I am always tired and hungry”, Michael replied resignedly. “Speaking of hungry, can I get some blood?”

Caroline got up and went to the refrigerator, where she took out three blood bags. “For you. Come along.”

Michael took it and followed Caroline outside, where they went to his room together.

“I'll pick you up for dinner”, said Caroline with a smile.

“Do I have to help again?” asked Michael. He had understood the hint that he shouldn't leave the room alone.

Caroline laughed and left his room without answering.


	19. Chapter 19

Kol and Davina crept to the Blood embassy to scout it out under the cover of night.

Kol had organized himself a night vision device from an army base and was now using it to observe the embassy and its surroundings.

“Do you want to attack by night or by day?” Davina asked curiously.

“I would prefer by day but your bodyguards have no daylight rings, so it will be by night, just before dawn”, replied Kol absently.

Davina frowned. “People often panic when there is fighting in the night. They may not dare to flee.”

“I won't leave you unprotected”, said Kol adamantly, swivelling the night vision device further. With a surprised grunt, he put the device down and handed it to Davina. “Look at the hill with the three oaks and the thick undergrowth. Tell me what you see.”

Davina took it and followed Kol’s instructions. “Huh, apparently we're not the only ones watching the embassy.”

“Yes, looks like it. How about we introduce ourselves to them and find out who they are and why they are here?”

“Sounds good for me”, replied Davina with a smile. “How do we get there unnoticed?”

Kol grinned impishly at her, took her without prior notice in his arms and ran. Davina squealed and clung to her husband. Within a few minutes they had reached the hill and Kol carefully set Davina down.

“I hate it when you do that”, Davina said sullenly.

Kol laughed. “I know. Stay here, I'll see who our unknown watchers are.”

Kol disappeared into the shadows and Davina was left alone. She knew there wasn't much, what could be dangerous to Kol but she still worried about him.

Kol was back after a short time and his face was grim.

“What is it, Kol? Is it a trap?” Davina asked worried.

“No but they're old enemies of mine”, Kol spat out.

“What do you mean? Who are they?”

“Jeremy Gilbert and Matt Donovan”, Kol replied grimly. “They are not alone, some other hunters accompany them.”

“Oh”, said Davina softly. “And what are you planning to do now?”

“I know what Elijah would advise”, said Kol, now it was his turn to be sullen.

“He's rarely wrong with his advice”, Davina replied with a smile.

“I hate you.”

“Oh no, you love me”, Davina replied with a laugh. “How do you want to approach them? I suppose they won’t react friendly to your presence?”

“Oh, guaranteed not. Apart from that, they probably still think that I'm dead.” Kol grinned quite nastily as he thought about their likely reactions to his unexpected appearance.

Davina sighed. She loved her husband but on occasions like these, when his inner Mikaelson emerged, she sometimes wondered why. “I will come with you this time. And I would be grateful, if you orientated yourself this time more on Elijah’s style than Klaus’s.”

“But Elijah is always so rational and controlled”, Kol complained playfully.

“You can do it. Think of it as personal growth.” Davina patted Kol on the shoulder encouragingly, then pushed him in the direction he had come from.

Kol went ahead, grumbling. Okay, he would be sensible but that didn't mean he couldn't have some fun first.

Davina followed, shaking her head. She was curious what Kol would come up with to get his money's worth.

*****

Jeremy had a strange feeling and didn't know why. He felt as if he was being watched but he didn't think they were in direct danger.

Matt looked at him sideways. “Are you okay, Jeremy?”

“I do not know.” Jeremy now had a tingling sensation in his neck, someone was behind him. He got up and turned around. At first nothing happened but then a shadow rushed towards him and threw him to the ground with overwhelming force. The speed told Jeremy that it was a vampire, not a Blood, though he felt no fangs in his throat.

“Hello, Jeremy, long time no see.” It was a voice, he hadn’t heard in many years.

“Kol?” Jeremy asked in disbelief.

“The one and only”, replied the amused voice and then something surprising happened, he was pulled up again and whirled around. One hand went around his neck and he was used as a shield, the other hand grabbed his arm.

The other humans had also jumped up to assist their leader.

“One step closer and I'll tear off his arm”, Kol said calmly. “Hello, Matty! Greetings from my sister!”

Matt went pale as he recognized Kol. “Everybody stop, nobody attacks him!”

“Very smart of you, Matty”, Kol said scornfully. “This time there is no Damon here to protect you from me.”

“You're dead”, said Matt dazedly.

Kol just laughed. “You know that we Originals are always good for a surprise.”

The other men muttered among themselves, they had apparently heard about the Originals and knew, what they were capable of.

Jeremy spoke again. “Why are you here and why am I still alive?”

“Oh, that can change very quickly, Jeremy”, Kol said nonchalantly, then his voice hardened. “Don't think I forgot who killed me the first time.”

“The first time?” Jeremy asked weakly.

“What can I say, I have that kind of charm.” Kol’s voice was playful again.

“And why are you here?”

“I’m here at the request of my big brothers. They want me to say Hello to the Bloods and to introduce us properly to them.”

“Sounds like some Bloods will have a very bad day”, Jeremy muttered sarcastically, and Kol chuckled.

“And the reason, you’re not dead yet, I've decided to channel this time my inner Elijah and not Klaus”, Kol finally answered Jeremy’s first question. “With these two it is always as if you have an angel and a devil on your shoulders.”

“Calling Elijah an angel seems a bit far-fetched to me”, said Jeremy dubious.

“I didn’t say that he was a good angel”, replied Kol smirking. “While I'm going to pay the embassy a visit, I need someone as back-up, who can be out in the daylight.”

“Oh. And why?” Jeremy was pretty baffled. This wasn't the Kol he had met many years ago. He was far calmer and less angry.

“Oh, somebody told me that people panic easily in the dark and since I promised Elijah not to kill anyone.” Kol shrugged. “I will need help with the humans, who are captured inside. As soon as I have freed them, they will flee outside. You will receive them and send them away so that they don’t hinder me for the rest of my mission.”

“And what did you promise Klaus?” Jeremy asked warily.

“What it is like, when the Originals transmit someone their full displeasure.”

Jeremy swallowed hard and exchanged anxious looks with Matt. That didn't sound good, at least for the Bloods!

“Well, and to send a sign to the supernatural community that our patience with the Bloods is now exhausted.” Kol grinned viciously.

“What is the other reason, you want us out here?” Matt asked confused. “I doubt the Bloods in the building are a serious threat to you.”

“They aren't”, Kol replied happily. “The other reason, I want you out here is to protect my wife.”

“Your wife?” Jeremy asked stunned.

“I think that's my cue”, came a woman's voice and a young, dark-haired, pretty woman stepped out of the shadows. “Let go of him now, Kol, I think you've had enough fun with them.”

Kol laughed and let go of Jeremy before taking a step back. “My beloved wife, always anxious to spoil my fun.”

The woman stepped up to Kol and he put an arm around her waist. “May I introduce Davina to you?” 

Kol looked down at his wife and smiled lovingly at her, which she returned the same way. 

Jeremy and Matt exchanged stunned looks again. They could easily see that this mutual affection was real.

Davina smiled at the men. “Hello, Kol told me a lot about you guys, although nothing very flattering.”

“Oh, believe, it's mutual. Our encounters with the Originals have been without exception unpleasant”, said Matt, a little hostile.

“I'll tell Rebekah you said that. She will certainly be very upset that you think about your shared time like this”, said Kol snippily.

“I can tell some wild stories about my encounters with the Originals too, but I ended up marrying one of them.” Davina shook her head. “If someone had told me back then that Klaus would one day be my brother-in-law, I would have declared him crazy.”

“You know what Kol is?” Matt asked quietly.

“You knew what Rebekah was too, Matt”, said Davina softly. 

“Incidentally, you belong to a very exclusive group, you survived an affair with my sister. Well, you and Damon.” Kol smirked. “By the way, she's married now.”

Matt smiled. “Good for her. I hope she is happy with him!”

“She is very happy.” Davina smiled at Matt.

“That is great to hear.” Matt still felt affection for Rebekah.

“While I'm going to kill Bloods, Davina will take care of the signal to the supernatural community.”

“And how is she going to do that?” Jeremy asked suspicious.

“I'm a witch!” Davina answered the question.

“So how does it look? Do we want to ally us against the Bloods?” Kol asked calmly.

“And what happens after that?” asked Matt.

“We're going to New Orleans to help the others hold off an invasion”, Davina replied. She and Kol had argued a lot, but in the end New Orleans was their home too and their families lived there. The conflict with the Bloods wasn't something they could flee or hide from, they had to choose a side.

“Or do you mean whether I'll kill you afterwards. I don't know yet”, Kol said with a smile.

“That doesn't help, Kol. You know the rest of their friends are in New Orleans to celebrate their reunion with Damon”, Davina said sternly.

“Wait a minute, Damon's in New Orleans?” Jeremy asked excitedly.

“Yes, and his son too”, Kol replied before frowning. “Actually, they're all in New Orleans. Elijah sounded a little stressed.”

“Elijah?” Matt asked slowly.

Kol grinned. “Apparently an invasion, negotiations with the other groups, our old enemies from Mystic Falls and our family is a little much, even for him.”

Davina gave Kol a pat on the back of the head. “Don't be so heartless!”

“Give us a moment!” Jeremy waved to Matt and the other hunters to come with him, then they started an excited conversation with lots of gesturing. It didn't look like everyone agreed.

Davina couldn't hear anything from this distance, but Kol didn't look concerned. “Kol?”

“Matt and Jeremy are for, the others are against allying with us”, Kol replied quietly. “They want to go with us to New Orleans, too.”

“Would that be bearable for you?” Davina eyed Kol worriedly.

Kol sighed. “Yes, even if I will have a hard time to not simply kill Jeremy.”

“I'm proud of you, Kol.” Davina put her hand on his cheek.

The argument between the hunters was over. The unknown hunters vanished in the dark and only Jeremy and Matt remained.

“How do we want to proceed?” Jeremy asked firmly.

The Original, the witch and the two hunters put their heads together and developed their plan of attack. The attack should start at dawn. As Kol said, it was a classic for a reason.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next update could take a while, work will be very stressful for the next few weeks and I don't know yet if I will have the time to write a lot.

After spending three hours trying to dissuade Niklaus from hunting and killing the werewolf that had bitten him, Elijah had a massive headache. He loved his brother but now he desperately needed a few hours quiet and peace away from him.

He made his rounds to see if there was any problem anywhere that required his attention. But apart from Josh, who had completely forgotten the time, and Freya's worried expression, about which she did not want to give him an explanation, everything seemed to be going smoothly.

Elijah couldn't deny a bad feeling about this unusual occurrence, it was never a good sign in this family.

When Elijah noticed that it was getting dark, he decided to order dinner for everyone from a delivery service. Everyone was tired after this long day and Elijah had no desire either to compel a chef to cook for them.

He knew his family's favourite dishes from this restaurant, and for their guests he ordered the menu once up and down with instructions to deliver everything at 8:00 p.m.

Elijah entered the kitchen, which was to his relief empty. He put the dishes and cutlery on the table, as well as glasses. He checked the refrigerator to see if there were enough drinks on hand.

Elijah sighed tiredly. Sometimes he felt more like the butler of his family than a member. Apparently he was the only one, who made sure everything was stocked.

His preparations for dinner were interrupted when Marcel entered the kitchen.

“Marcel”, Elijah said neutrally.

“Elijah”, Marcel replied in the same tone. “When is dinner?”

“The dinner will come at 8:00 p.m.”, Elijah replied calmly. “Did you find the scientist, Josh told me about?”

“Yes, I brought him here, together with the contents of his desk. The scientist is now in the cell besides this Ava, and Josh has the contents of his desk, he is examining them.”

“Perhaps it will help us with this riddle. Thank you for your help”, said Elijah sincerely. 

“I only do it for the people of New Orleans, not for you”, said Marcel gruffly. “Have you heard from Kol yet?”

“Yes, he and Davina will scout out the embassy and then will they contact us to pass on their plan of attack.”

“I really don't like it, that Davina is taking part in this attack”, complained Marcel.

“I don't like it either, but she's stubborn and insisted on accompanying Kol.” Elijah shrugged. “Davina is old enough to make her own decisions, I don’t have the right to forbid her anything.”

Marcel snarled slightly and Elijah looked questioning at him. Marcel knew how Elijah meant his words und he knew how stubborn Davina could be but still he got annoyed about Elijah’s words. Not that it needed much for him these days to get angry with Elijah and blame him for everything. “Is her safety guaranteed?”

Elijah looked at Marcel. “Do you really think, Kol would allow Davina to go into danger without ensuring her safety?”

Marcel hesitated for a moment, but then he shrugged. “No, I know, he would do anything to ensure her safety. With you, however, I’m not so sure. Your family's well-being is the only thing you care about and you view only your siblings as family. You have no problems letting Davina go into danger or letting her die, it wouldn't be the first time.” His voice was derisive.

Elijah's expression remained unmoved. “As soon as I hear from them, I will let you know.”

Marcel nodded stiffly. In the last few months he had been constantly short-tempered and on the few occasions, when he had spoken with Elijah before giving the phone over to Rebekah, he had noticed that for some reason his aggressiveness concentrated itself more and more on Elijah.

Their relationship in the past decade had never been amicable but it had been civil enough. For some reason, his emotional state slowly regressed to the point it was before Klaus and Elijah had nearly sacrificed themselves. Elijah suddenly symbolized death for him again and it was harder and harder for him, to not let Elijah feel this at every opportunity, when they had contact with each other.

What annoyed Marcel the most, was, that Elijah completely ignored his cruel jabs and taunts and reacted indifferently to any provocation. “Make sure you do that! Otherwise, like you always put it so beautifully, I would have to show you my extreme displeasure, it wouldn’t end well for you.”

Elijah didn't react overtly to the threat, just showed him his half-smile. Marcel had seen that smile often enough. Elijah only showed it when he was at his most unpredictable.

“Will you come to dinner?” Elijah asked instead.

“Wouldn't want to miss it.” Marcel walked past him, deliberately bumbling into him in a way so that Elijah was rudely pushed aside.

As soon as Marcel was gone, Elijah closed his eyes and took a deep breath. As little as he showed it to Marcel, his constant provocations troubled him. He did not understand this sudden renewed hostility towards him. 

Elijah had seriously believed that even if they weren't friends anymore, they'd found at least back to a courteous relationship. But every time, they had talked for whatever reason in the past few months, Marcel had been extremely aggressive and condescending towards him.

Elijah understood and accepted Marcel’s hatred towards him, he deserved it, but that didn’t mean that he would tolerate this treatment unlimited. Marcel maybe thought that Elijah was holding back because he feared Marcel’s bite, but this wasn’t true, Elijah no longer feared death.

Elijah felt someone else enter the kitchen. With his back to the door, he had enough time to erase any emotion from his face and eyes that betrayed his distraught state of mind.

Elijah turned around and saw how Alaric paused at the door. “What can I do for you, Alaric?” He asked politely.

“Is everything alright with you?” Alaric asked hesitantly. He felt reminded of the time when he first had met Elijah, cold, dangerous and always close to a violent outburst.

“Yes, all is well!” Elijah smiled at Alaric.

“If you say so!” Alaric decided not to pester Elijah any further. “Can I help you with anything?”

“No, thanks, all preparations are completed.” Elijah looked at his watch. “Which means, I have two hours to deal with a personal matter.”

“And what would that be?”

Elijah’s eyes were now more amused than angry. “You know the meaning of the words ‘personal matter’, do you?”

Alaric shrugged a little sheepishly, Elijah was of course right with his question. “Sorry”, he said half-heartedly. “I'm just a little bored. Everyone has something to do and I'm too restless to sleep.”

Elijah thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Why not? You can come with me. As I freed Damon’s son, I let a couple of Bloods live. Maybe now is a fitting time to talk to them.”

“And you could vent off some of your anger”, Alaric said casually.

“I may be angry with these Bloods but I will not let them pay for something they had nothing to do with.”

Alaric was reassured to see that Elijah was still more amused than annoyed. “Oh, good to know. So where are we going?”

“In the basement. The head of security of the Blood Base is waiting there for my questions. And yes, it might include a little personal vengeance on my part.” Elijah shrugged and left the kitchen.

******

Rebekah had left Jimmy and Desmond alone for a moment when she saw Marcel walking towards the kitchen. Shortly before he had talked with Josh and had given something to him. She followed Marcel because she wanted to ask him something and so she had been able to see the clash between Marcel and Elijah. She frowned in concern. Something was wrong with Marcel and his behaviour towards Elijah worried her deeply.

Rebekah was reminded of the bad old days when the two could hardly be in a room without the possibility of bloodshed hanging in the air. So far it had only been thanks to Elijah’s self-control that the situation had not escalated. But Rebekah knew her older brother, and his patience was rapidly coming to an end.

Suddenly she felt, that she was no longer alone. A hand was put on her shoulder and she leaned back against Klaus. “I'm worried”, she said for the first time, what she was thinking.

“I share your concerns”, Klaus said calmly. He too had noticed Marcel’s barely concealed antagonism towards Elijah. When he had looked questioningly at his brother, Elijah had only shrugged helplessly and a little confused.  
“Compelling Josh to spy on us, his increasing provocations towards Elijah, and his threats towards me. These are the reasons why I really started to think about taking away Marcel's powers. Marcel is becoming increasingly unpredictable and I don't know how long Elijah is still willing to put up with Marcel's provocations in order to keep the peace in the family.”

“Not much longer”, Rebekah replied grimly. “Elijah smiles a little too often for my taste.”

“Did you ask Marcel about his behaviour?”

“Not until now, every incident was so isolated.” Rebekah frowned. “But his violent mood swings have been increasing lately and sometimes ...” She hesitated.

“What is it?” Asked Klaus quietly.

“Sometimes I fear how he might react to my questions.” Rebekah sighed. “Marcel never harmed me and would never harm me, but in the last few months I have seen something in his eyes that scares me.”

“Complete loss of control.” Klaus looked thoughtful.

“It reminds me of you, of the time when you started to lose your humanity and you started to terrorize us.” Rebekah moved uncomfortably. This was not a subject that she liked to think or talk about.

Klaus pursed his lips. “Perhaps the ancestors' spell is losing its effectiveness and the werewolf venom affects his sanity?”

Rebekah didn't answer. It wasn't something she hadn't already thought. For the moment, they could only wait and hope that this inaction would not fly around their ears. Rebekah sighed. When she thought of the luck of her family, she was not exactly reassured.

*****

Alaric had to admit he was curious what the Blood had done to arouse Elijah’s anger. He followed Elijah into the basement but this time they took a different route than before. “How big is this basement actually?”

“There are connections to the canals, old cellars of buildings that no longer exist and that have been forgotten by everyone”, Elijah explained. “Remember, we've lived in New Orleans for 300 years. We have forgotten things about this city that others will never knew.”

“What about Marcel?” Alaric couldn't resist.

Elijah chuckled. “He knows a lot of our secrets, Klaus showed him everything.”

“And what about your secrets, does he know them too?” Alaric wondered.

Elijah smiled indefinable and didn’t answer.

After a few minutes Elijah stopped in front of a basement room. He opened the door and went through, but left the door open so that Alaric could decide for himself whether he wanted to follow him or not.

Alaric reluctantly followed. A vampire was standing guard in the room and four Bloods were sitting on the floor, unable to move a muscle.

"William, release your compulsion, then wait outside," said Elijah calmly.

"Yes, sir." William obeyed Elijah’s orders. With a nod to Alaric, he left the room.

The four Bloods got up and looked warily at Elijah. None of them made any move to attack him, they knew they had no chance against him. However, since it was a while they had gotten something to eat, they looked quite hungrily at Alaric, whom they had immediately identified as a human. 

Elijah chuckled softly. “I would think twice about it. He is used to fighting vampires, Bloods are second rate opponents for him."

"Thank you, Elijah", Alaric said sarcastically, "it's always flattering to get praised by one of your worst enemies."

Elijah smirked. "You're welcome, Alaric." 

Worst enemy? Mueller scrutinized Alaric with new and different interest. If they were former enemies, maybe he could take advantage of this.

Elijah rolled his eyes, this Blood was really too obvious. He looked Mueller in the eye and compelled him. “You will answer my questions honestly and completely. Desmond was afraid of you and not in the ‘He is a Blood’ way. What did you do to him?"

Alaric raised an eyebrow, then stepped back towards the door and leaned against the door frame.

Elijah grinned when he saw Alaric’s reaction. “Answer me.”

“I threatened to eat him and I hit him a few times”, Mueller replied reluctantly. It was clear that he really didn't want to answer that question.

“How very brave he is, isn’t he?” asked Elijah scornfully.

“Indeed, a real hero”, Alaric agreed and glared angrily at Mueller.

“What do you know about the experiments that were carried out on Desmond?” asked Elijah harsh.

“Nothing, this is our chief scientist's area of responsibility”, answered Mueller, sullenly, that he had no other choice but to answer the questions.

“Did you participate in the experiments?”

“No, I or one of the other guards got him out of the cell, brought him to the laboratory and vice versa.” Mueller didn’t understand, why this dangerous being was only interested in his interactions with the boy.

Elijah looked now bored and Alaric tensed in expectation of the ensuing bloodshed, he knew this expression. “Is there anything you know, that could save your life? And believe me, you urgently need to know something.”

Muller swallowed and shuddered, he knew how close he was to death. “I have evidence that the Bloods have been infiltrated.”

“Continue”, Elijah said simply.

“It wasn't anything specific, so I haven't passed it on to my superiors yet. One of the scientists acted strangely and so I searched his desk. There was a book with handwritten notes and on the cover was a symbol that I didn't recognise. So I took it and then watched the man desperately look for it. Before I could really get to the bottom of the matter, you and Luther showed up.”

“Where is this book?” Elijah asked tensely.

“I put it in my jacket, right breast pocket. Only our weapons were taken from us, nothing else.”

Elijah scowled at this answer. This new vampires were such amateurs. He went up to Mueller, put his hand in his pocket and took the book out. The symbol on the cover didn't mean anything to him either, so Elijah quickly flipped through the book. His eyes scanned the pages until he came across a familiar name. “Huh”, he said, amazed.

Alaric pushed off the wall. “What have you found?”

“There's a name here, Damon Salvatore!” Elijah frowned and read on. “Apparently someone is very interested in finding him. Kind of amusing, isn't it?”

“Yes, very amusing”, replied Alaric tersely. “Give me the book!” Elijah gave it to Alaric, he closed the book and looked at the symbol. “Damn it!”

Elijah saw Alaric go pale. “This symbol means something to you?”

“Yes, it does. I mean I was dead but I witnessed enough through the veil.” Alaric scowled as he thought about these two years. “But I can't tell you anything, it's not within my rights to do so.”

“Is it a personal story?” Elijah asked calmly.

“A very personal one and it would be better if not too many people are present when it is told.”

“Who, do you think, would be acceptable for him?” Elijah asked evenly.

“You definitely, maybe Klaus too, but no one else.” Alaric shuddered. Telling about it would be hard enough for Damon, no reason to make it worse for him.

Elijah nodded. “I will organise everything and I will ensure that nobody disturbs us. Will you speak with Damon, whether he agrees to this meeting?”

“Yes.” Alaric held the book up. “Can I take this with me to give it Damon?”

“Of course”, conceded Elijah immediately. “William!”

The young vampire came in. “Yes, sir?”

“Take this four to the others and tell Ryan, to search every prisoner again.” Elijah looked sardonic at Mueller. “Weapons are not the only things that can be dangerous, sometimes knowledge is dangerous too and much more useful.”

“Yes, sir.”

“So, no bloodshed this time?” asked Alaric curious.

“Oh, they will hold.” Elijah looked at the Bloods, who avoided his eyes. “Like I said, I can wait for my revenge, some things are more important.”

The Original and the former teacher left the basement. 

“Let’s bring you to the others of your kind”, said William gruffly. 

“What is he?” asked Mueller distraught.

“He is an Original”, answered William smirking. “Older as dirt and more dangerous than you can possible imagine. You think, in your little skirmish with him you have seen everything he can do?” William chuckled darkly.   
“Your species made a huge mistake with choosing New Orleans as your next target. Vampires are very territorial, when they see a city as their home and that applies especially to the oldest of our kind. The Bloods practically declared war on the Originals, which means, you are now in big trouble.”

The four Bloods exchanged uneasy looks. The vampire didn't tell them anything new but after their second encounter with Elijah they finally understood, in which wasp nest they really had poked with their plans for New Orleans.


	21. Chapter 21

Alaric and Elijah entered the courtyard just before 8 p.m. 

“I'll wait until after dinner to show this to Damon. There is no reason to spoil his appetite.” Alaric looked glum. This was not really something, he wanted to do.

“I would prefer to postpone this conversation until tomorrow anyway”, Elijah replied with a shrug.

The delivery driver entered cautiously the courtyard. He was the only one willing to come here if this address ordered something. He had seen some bizarre things in the last years at this place but the tips were always fantastic. When he saw Elijah waiting in the courtyard, he relaxed a little. Another good sign was that there was no sign of a struggle. “Your order, Mr. Mikaelson.”

“Thank you very much, David. Put everything on the table and I'll take care of the rest.” Elijah took out his wallet and removed five 100-$-bills. “Is this sufficient?”

“Yes, Mr. Mikaelson, the bill is a little under $ 400”, replied David.

“Then keep the rest as a tip. Until next time!” David was one of the few delivery drivers who came by regularly. Elijah had several times compelled him to forget some particularly gruesome events, so he had more than well earned his tip.

“Until next time.” David left satisfied the compound, $ 100 tip was nothing to sneeze at.

Alaric looked questioningly at Elijah who grinned. “Most delivery services or drivers come only 1 or 2 times and then never again. He's been coming for 5 years, I have to reward so much courage.”

“Has he never seen anything?” asked Alaric interested.

“Oh, he has, very often. And whenever I compel him, I always made him forget just enough that he knows it can be dangerous to come here but he keeps coming. So I threatened my siblings with serious consequences should they ever dare to bother David in any way.” Elijah looked a little smug.

Alaric laughed, that was so typical Elijah. “Let me help you carry!”

The two men brought the food into the kitchen. Since Elijah had told their guests on his tour when dinner was usually served, everyone gradually arrived.

As with breakfast, everything to do with the Bloods and the impending invasion was avoided as a topic. However, the mood was not as relaxed as at breakfast. Everyone had had a long day and everyone was preoccupied with what they had learned or experienced.

Elijah's cell phone rang during dinner. When he saw that it was Kol, he left the table and the kitchen to take the call. “Hello, Kol, how is it?”

Kol reported who he had met and that they wanted to work together for the attack.

Elijah's eyebrows went higher and higher as he received Kol’s report. “Tell Davina I'm genuinely impressed.” When Kol began to sputter indignantly, Elijah laughed. “Don't get upset, brother, I'm very proud of you too.”

“As soon as Jeremy heard from me that Damon was in New Orleans and what was going on, he decided to accompany us to New Orleans”, Kol said a little more calmly. “Matt comes along too, but I think less because of Damon and more because he wants to see the others.” Kol giggled. “And maybe because he'd like to see Rebekah again.”

Elijah sighed. “All right, the more, the merrier, it hardly doesn't matter anymore. I'll be booking plane tickets for the four of you, the only flight to New Orleans is leaving at noon. I will make sure that you are picked up at the airport. And could you tell Davina to get in touch with Marcel?”

“I'll tell her, brother.” Kol hesitated a little. “Elijah, are you all right?”

“Everything is fine, Kol. Please be careful and take care of yourself!” Elijah certainly didn't intend to tell Kol about his troubles with Marcel. Davina would probably be on Marcel's side and Elijah didn't want to cause any trouble between his brother and his wife.

“Ok, Elijah. See you tomorrow!” Kol hung up.

Elijah hung up too and stared at the phone. Even he, who had in a thousand years often enough seen how events and coincidences could come together, found it a little scary how all these people from their past were on the right spot at the right time.

Elijah went back into the kitchen. “Kol has called in, they'll attack tomorrow at dawn.” He grinned slightly. “Apparently, he and Davina have teamed up with Jeremy and Matt. Jeremy and Matt will protect Davina while Kol annihilates the embassy.”

The Originals and the Mystic Falls Gang exchanged incredulous and amused looks, while the rest of them felt rather left out of the loop.

It was Klaus, who spoke out what everyone was thinking. “Seriously? Jeremy and Kol are willing to work together?”

“That was my reaction too.” Elijah chuckled amused.

“Are this Jeremy and Matt at all able to protect Davina?” asked Marcel, who wanted to bring himself back into the conversation.

“Yes, they are, don't worry”, Rebekah replied. “Jeremy is a Hunter of the Five, he can easily take down every Blood that may escape Kol. And Matt is able to handle a couple of Bloods too.”

“Yes, your sister-in-law will be well protected”, agreed Damon. 

“Kol and Davina have decided to leave Denver and return to New Orleans, at least for the moment. I'm going to book four flights for them as Jeremy and Matt have decided to come to New Orleans as well.” He looked at Damon. “Apparently Jeremy wants to see you, and Matt, well…” Elijah shrugged.

“And Matty might want to see his old love again”, said Klaus, enjoying it as always to cause a little trouble for his sister. Rebekah glared indignantly at him.

“Wow, it's like a class reunion”, said Caroline amused. “All of us, together, in one city.”

“Let's just hope, it doesn't turn out to be like in old times”, said Alaric sarcastically.

“Don't worry, right now I have no intention of killing or torturing any of you”, said Klaus with a grin.

Now Elijah was also staring angrily at Klaus. “Not helping, Niklaus. Please shut up!”

“Yes, Nik, shut up!” hissed Rebekah.

Marcel frowned, he had missed something that had just happened between the three siblings. And judging by Freya’s face, she was just as confused as he was.

Klaus just grinned at the ire of his siblings. “When will they be in New Orleans?”

“They will arrive here in the evening. I will make sure that they are picked up”, Elijah explained calmly. “I suggest, we wait for them before we share our insights and talk about old times.” He sighed.

Klaus looked at everyone present. “Everyone agrees? It also means we can go to bed early. Who knows, what the next days will bring.”

Everyone nodded, it made the most sense.

“Anyone else want something to drink?” When most of them nodded, Elijah got up and went to the fridge to get a few more cans of beer and other drinks to put on the table.

“Elijah, did you talk to Davina like I ordered you to?” asked Marcel condescendingly.

Elijah, who was just about to set everything on the table, visibly paused for a moment before he continued with the distribution of the drinks.

“No, only with Kol. But I asked Kol to tell her that she should contact you”, Elijah replied, smiling politely. 

Rebekah and Klaus exchanged worried looks and Freya shifted uneasy in her seat.

“Good for you that you at least remembered that. I hope for you that she calls me.” Marcel looked at his plate.

Elijah sat down again. With the practice he had developed over the past few months, he reluctantly and with difficulty ignored Marcel’s threat and insolence, but he found the reactions of the Mystic Falls Gang a lot more remarkable.

Damon's eyes glittered in a dangerous way that Elijah hadn't seen in a long time. Alaric’s expression was still but his eyes were narrowed. Caroline looked unsettled at Klaus as if awaiting a violent reaction from him, which never came at all. When she looked at Marcel again, her look wasn't particularly friendly.

However, it was Bonnie’s reaction Elijah found the most interesting. He knew that she generally didn't like vampires at all! The only vampires she'd ever made an exception for were as far as he knew Stefan, Damon, Caroline, Elena and Alaric.

Now she looked back and forth between Elijah and Marcel and then she regarded Marcel in the antagonistic way she had done in former times only with Niklaus.

Elijah might not be able to use magic but he knew when it was being practiced around him. He glanced quickly at Freya, who was staring tense at Bonnie before she suddenly relaxed. Whatever it was, Bonnie didn't seem to be planning anything violent.

A few moments later Bonnie tilted her head before she leaned back in her seat and frowned, she seemed confused about something.

Jimmy and Michael felt uncomfortable. Elijah had never been anything but kind to them and, above all, he had saved their lives. They might not knew everything about the relationship between the two men, but if they had to choose a side, they would take Elijah’s.

As for Desmond, if looks could kill, Marcel would be a pile of burnt ash on the floor.

Josh knew that Marcel’s resentment towards Elijah was justified, but their relationship had actually been quite civil in recent years, he did not understand Marcel’s return to his earlier behaviour.

Quite apart from that found Josh the behaviour of Marcel very inappropriate. After all, this was Elijah’s home and Marcel certainly didn’t have the right to give him orders or hold him responsible for whether Davina called Marcel back or not. Maybe he should text Davina, whether she had noticed anything about Marcel’s behaviour that the rest of them had missed.

In any case, this incident ensured that the group broke up pretty quickly and everyone withdrew to their room.

*****

Kol didn't know why, but something about his conversation with Elijah bothered him. His brother had sounded odd when he delivered Marcel’s message for Davina.

Before Kol had called his brother, he and Davina had returned to their apartment. Davina needed a few ingredients for her spell and they had to pack for their return to New Orleans. 

Kol had also packed a bag with clean clothes, which he would need for after the attack. He couldn't show up at the airport with blood-smeared clothes, it would cause too much furore. He couldn't compel everyone to ignore his looks.

Now Kol sat on the bed next to the bags and stared thoughtfully at the ground as he recalled his conversation with Elijah. 

Davina entered into the bedroom to ask him about his talk with Elijah but when she saw Kol sitting quietly like that, she sat down next to him. She knew that look on her husband's face, it had always to do with his family in general and usually with Klaus in particular. “You look troubled, Kol, what happened? What has Klaus done now?”

“This time Klaus has done nothing, it's about Elijah! He was weird on the phone!” Kol shook confused his head. “By the way, you're supposed to call Marcel.”

“What do you mean, Elijah sounded weird?” Davina asked softly.

“I've known my brother for 1000 years.” Kol looked seriously at Davina. “This is how he sounds when he is not only under normal stress but when something torments him personally and this not since yesterday. Did Elijah ever say something to you?”

Davina reflected her chats with Elijah. “No, I never noticed anything.” Davina chuckled. “But I was not for 1000 years his brother either so...”

Kol smiled a little sad. “Elijah has always in some things remained a mystery to me, I have seldom understood what is going on in his mind. The only one of us who can reasonably predict his reactions is Klaus and even he is not always safe from surprises. But now is definitely something wrong with Elijah!”

“Then maybe you should call Klaus and ask what's going on.” Davina got up. “I'm calling Marcel now.” She left the bedroom.

Kol sighed before he bit into the sour apple. He texted Klaus that he wanted to speak to him in private. The answer came almost immediately, that it was a bad moment and that he would contact Kol as soon as Klaus was alone.

Kol listened whether Davina was talking to Marcel but everything was quiet in the next room. As he stepped into the living room, he saw Davina staring frowning at the display of her phone. “Did Marcel put you off until later too?”

“He ignored my call. And I just got a text message from Josh. He asks if I noticed anything weird about Marcel’s behaviour lately.”

“Huh, that doesn't sound good!” Kol began making connections very quickly. “Hm, it almost looks like Marcel and Elijah were back at each other’s throats.”

“Why? Their relationship has been okay over the past few years.” Davina looked thoughtful. “Would Elijah start this new argument?”

“With Marcel? No, not without a very good reason, he still feels too guilty for everything. If there is now again quarrel between them, then it was instigated through Marcel”, replied Kol adamantly.

“Yes, you are right. Why didn't Elijah say anything to you?”

“Maybe he doesn't want to cause strife between us.” Kol shrugged.

Davina nodded. “Yes, that sounds like Elijah. You talk to Klaus and I will talk to Josh, then we compare our findings.” Davina grinned grimly. “And then I'll talk to Marcel.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Kol returned her grin.

*****

Damon accepted a little astonished Alaric’s invitation to come to his room. In all honesty, he needed a distraction after the uncomfortable end of the dinner.

Alaric had been quite subdued during dinner and had avoided looking directly at Damon or starting a lengthy conversation with him.

Damon entered Alaric’s room. Alaric was sitting in an armchair, another armchair stood nearby. Between the two armchairs stood a small table with a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. “So it is going to be one of these conversations?”

“Yes, believe me, you will need it. Sit down, Damon!” Alaric’s voice was serious.

Damon sat down and poured himself a bourbon. It had been a long time since he'd indulged in anything stronger than wine. There were a few things that he really missed about his existence as a vampire. He took a sip and savoured the taste. “Very good bourbon!”

“It is a gift from Elijah.”

“Does he know what this is about?”

Alaric sighed. “Yes and no! He knows it affects you and that it will be difficult for you to talk about.”

Damon raised an eyebrow. “And you know this how?”

Without a word, Alaric picked up a book that was lying next to him in the armchair and handed it to Damon.

Damon glanced at the cover and turned ashen. “Where did you get that?”

“A Blood scientist had it. Apparently he was doing studies on the Bloods. Elijah and I have already leafed through it a bit. Read it!”

Alaric watched unhappily as Damon read the book. After a few minutes Damon took the glass with two trembling hands and took a long sip of bourbon.

Finally Damon closed the book and tossed it on the floor in disgust. “Damn it!”

“I hear you”, Alaric agreed.

“Why of all things must it be this part of my past?”

Alaric shrugged helplessly, he had no answer to that either. “This is something the Originals have to know.”

“Yes I know.” Damon contemplated feverishly, with which Original he felt comfortable enough to talk about this part of his past. “Did Elijah say who would join this conversation?”

“Not until now. I told him that he was probably acceptable.” Alaric hesitated. “And maybe Klaus too.”

Damon pondered again, then finally sighed. “Both of them are acceptable for me.” Then he looked at Alaric. “And I want you to be there too, call it moral support for me.”

“It would be my honour”, Alaric replied sincerely. “When?”

“Tomorrow in the afternoon.” Damon swallowed. “I want to read it again more thoroughly and I have to think about how to tell them.”

“Understandable. Tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.?”

“Yes.” Damon swallowed hard. “I have to figure out a way how I can keep Desmond busy tomorrow. I don't want ...” Damon broke off.

“I understand”, said Alaric gently. “Would you mind if Desmond goes sightseeing tomorrow? He was imprisoned for four months. I bet, he has lots of energy pent up.”

“It should be pretty safe during the day. And as long as an Original is with him ...” Damon broke off again.

“I will ask Elijah if he wants to accompany Desmond. I think he could use after tonight a bit of cheering up too”, Alaric said hesitantly. “Do you know what that was about?”

“No, not exactly.” Damon hesitated. “But we both know the Originals, it was definitely not pleasant.”

Alaric laughed softly. “Who would have thought 20 years ago that we would think about how to best cheer up an Original?”

Damon was laughing now too. “I know what you mean! Life is damn strange sometimes!” He rubbed his face tiredly. “Would you arrange everything for me, Alaric?”

“Of course, Damon”, Alaric said gently. “Sleep well!”

“I wish I could!” Damon laughed bitterly. “Good night, Alaric!” He got up and after picking up the book he left the room.

Alaric sighed tiredly before he stood up. He had previously promised Elijah that he would come to see him after his talk with Damon.

He left his room and went to Elijah’s room, Elijah had shown him beforehand. He knocked and heard Elijah’s voice. "Come in, Alaric!"

Alaric followed the prompt and closed the door behind him. Without further ado he told Elijah what had been discussed.

“I'll let Klaus know tomorrow about everything”, Elijah said calmly.

“Can you tell him to hold back with tactless remarks while Damon tells you everything? It's going to be tough enough for Damon”, pleaded Alaric.

Elijah snorted. “I can ask him but in the end...” He shrugged. “It's Klaus!”

“Yes, I know.” Alaric sighed. “What do you think of Damon's proposal regarding Desmond?”

“I would really enjoy spending the morning with him.” Elijah smiled and this time the emotion behind it was real. “There is a large park and playground in the French Quarter where he can play with other children. There is also a small fair there. Desmond will have fun tomorrow.”

““That sounds good.” Alaric hesitated. “When I ask you, which kind of problem Marcel has with you...?”

“It's about an awful mistake I made many years ago.” Elijah shrugged. “However, I had believed that Marcel and I had left the worst behind us. I guess, I was wrong!”

Alaric didn't say anything.

“It's late! Good night, Alaric!”

Alaric recognized a dismissal when he heard one. “Good night, Elijah!”

Alaric left the Original's room. He was glad that this day was over and wondered who else was feeling like that.


	22. Chapter 22

Kol waited impatiently for Klaus to finally call him back.

“Hello, Kol”, greeted him Klaus.

“Klaus, are there problems between Elijah and Marcel?” Kol asked straight away.

“You get to the knack point right away, won't you?” Klaus sighed. “Yes, but neither of us knows why. Since Marcel came to New Orleans, he's been harassing Elijah almost incessantly. He is cruel and uses every weak point, every trauma that he knows our brother has. The only vulnerability that he has left out and not used so far is Hayley.”

“If he does that...” Kol broke off grimly.

“Yes”, agreed Klaus. They all knew that Hayley was off-limits as a weapon against Elijah when it came to an argument between the siblings. And if Marcel broke this unspoken rule, Elijah wasn't the only Mikealson, Marcel had to watch out for. “Our brother now starts to smile as soon as Marcel is near him.”

“Hmm, which one? The ‘I find you annoying and would very much like to kill you’ or the ‘You will die bloody and screaming as soon as you are no longer of any use to me’?”

Klaus hesitated before reluctantly answering. “It is more his ‘You are a danger to my family, I am now seriously considering ripping your heart out and I no longer care if I survive it’.”

Kol swallowed. He knew the smile Klaus talked about, he had only seen it on very few occasions, usually when Mikael had trapped them with no way out. Then had Elijah showed them this smile, parted from them and somehow always had managed to break up the trap, so that they could escape. Kol had never dared to ask, what had happened between Elijah and Mikael on these occasions. “Oh, this smile! Does Marcel know what it means?”

“No, he has never seen it”, replied Klaus shortly. Then he told Kol about the incidents, he had observed and about his and Rebekah’s conversation.

“That does not sound good!” Kol was worried. “You have to shield Elijah from the worst of it!”

“That is my intention.” Klaus sighed. “But it's difficult, Marcel’s verbal attacks are so unpredictable. At first everything is normal and then all of the sudden is it, like we were back to our worst times with Marcel, there just isn't a pattern or trigger that I can identify.” 

Kol found that Klaus sounded desperate and helpless, which he was not used from his fierce and indomitable brother. “You have to keep them separate.”

“Easier said than done if they live in the same house. But at least tomorrow morning Elijah will be away, he is going on a sightseeing tour with Desmond.”

Kol was relieved to hear that. “Good, try your best. Davina is talking to Josh and after that she will call Marcel.” 

“Freya and Rebekah will help me.” Klaus suddenly snickered. “And even the Mystic Falls Gang is on Elijah’s side. Bonnie looked at Marcel in the same way she previously usually reserved only for me. And Damon had this malevolent gleam in his eyes, it reminded me of the time he tossed you off the balcony.”

Kol growled at Klaus, not impressed by this allusion, before he hung up angrily. He went next door, wanting to vent about Klaus, but Davina still talked to Josh even as their conversation drew to a close.

“Thanks Josh! And believe me, I will have stern words with Marcel about his compelling of you. Do your best to prevent further escalation until I get there.” Davina laughed at what Josh was saying. “Yes, I know that I am asking for something impossible. I'll see you tomorrow, Josh. See you soon!” Davina hung up.

“What does Josh say?” asked Kol intrigued. 

“I suspect the same as Klaus. Marcel provokes Elijah at every opportunity and is not particularly squeamish about the style. But this not the only thing he did, he compelled Josh to spy for him.” Davina looked livid, Josh was still her best friend. “Luckily Klaus decided not to blame Josh for his unwilling betrayal but we both know, a few years ago it wouldn’t have mattered to him that Marcel compelled Josh to do it.   
Josh is concerned that the situation between Marcel und Elijah is getting out of hand. According to his account, the only thing that has prevented this so far is Elijah’s self-control and his obvious aversion to create under this dangerous circumstances additional trouble.”

“Yes, Elijah’s self-control can sometimes be very beneficial”, said Kol thoughtfully. “Do you want to call Marcel now?”

“Yeah, and I want you to listen.” Davina knew that Kol normally avoided eavesdropping to her conversations with Marcel, either out of respect for her or because he couldn't control himself to make derisive comments that in turn irritated Marcel.

“Don't worry, I won't say anything”, said Kol seriously. Davina smiled at him and dialled Marcel’s number, who picked up immediately.

“Hello Marcel, you wanted to speak to me?” Davina asked apparently cheerful.

“Yeah, I'm worried for you, you really shouldn’t take part in the attack tomorrow.”

“You do not need to worry. As Kol reluctantly admitted, both Jeremy and Matt are perfectly capable of taking on and fighting against multiple Bloods.”

“I don’t care much about what Kol says or thinks over these hunters”, said Marcel grimly.

Davina saw Kol’s eyes glitter angrily but he controlled himself. “You sound a little upset, Marcel. Is everything ok?” She was curious what he would answer.

“Yes, everything is fine”, replied Marcel briefly, but Davina knew her foster father too well. She looked at Kol and shook her head, Kol only nodded grimly. 

“I still don't like that the Mikealsons are involving you into their war”, Marcel continued.

“It's not only their war, Marcel”, Davina said firmly, “it affects all of us. Bloods attacked me several times in the past few months. It is only thanks to Kol’s intervention that I was not seriously injured, kidnapped or killed. You can't imagine how things are on the streets and in Denver the situation is still somewhat under the control of the government.”

Kol could suddenly hear Rebekah's voice in the background. “For you!”

“Why do you give me a blanket and pillows?” Marcel asked in astonishment, for the moment completely forgetting to ask Davina about her for him surprising revelation.

“You sleep on the couch until you apologize to Elijah remorseful and sincere. I don’t want to share a bed with you until you behave like the decent man again I thought you were.”

Kol heard the clacking of Rebekah’s high heels, the indignant spluttering of Marcel and then the loud slamming of a door. He put his hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter and Davina smiled amused, too.

“It seems like you have other problems right now, you should start grovelling for forgiveness. What I wanted to tell you too, when we get to New Orleans, Kol and I will support Klaus and Elijah in everything they plan against the Bloods. So I suggest whatever it is that makes you so irrational at the moment, you think long and hard about it, then leave it behind you and pull yourself together!” Without waiting for Marcel’s answer, Davina hung up.

Kol raised his eyebrows. “Do you think this is a good idea?”

Before Davina could answer, Davina's phone rang. She grinned when she recognized the number and dismissed the call. “In this case it is me that knows Marcel the best”, she finally replied. “Is he angry now? Oh yeah. But the double punch that I and Rebekah delivered to him, should cool him off for the time being. Never underestimate the displeasure of a wife who banishes her husband to the couch until he behaves properly again.”

Kol winced. He could remember a few times, when he had been in Marcel’s position and Davina had banished him on the couch. “You're right! We have a few hours before we meet Jeremy and Matt. What shall we only do in the meantime?”

Davina smiled sexy. “I have an idea!”

“I was hoping you would say that.” Kol grinned lecherous at his wife before he picked her up and raced with her into the bedroom. Neither of them heard the ringing of the phone.

*****

As they had previously arranged, Jeremy and Matt waited where they first met. It offered the best view of the embassy entrance.

Kol stared at the lawn, on which Davina wanted to burn the Mikealons' family crest. “It's very close to the embassy.”

“Nothing will happen to me, Kol”, said Davina sympathetic. “But I have to be in the centre of the crest for the spell to work.”

“Yes I know.” Kol knew it indeed, after all, it was him who taught Davina this spell. He turned his gaze to the horizon where the first red streak was visible. “It's time!”

Jeremy and Matt pulled their machetes and each of them wore additionally two pistols in their belts. When Kol stared incredulous and a little amused about this arsenal at the two hunters, they shrugged.

“Unlike vampires, bullets work against Bloods”, Matt explained. “It's a nice change, I like it.”

Kol smirked. “I can imagine. Take good care of my wife!” And he raced off.

Davina, Jeremy and Matt watched the heavy front door of the embassy explode inwards and almost immediately afterwards they heard the first screams.

“Sounds like Kol was able to enter the building and is having fun now”, said Jeremy dryly. “Come on, let’s go. How long do you need for the spell?”

“Not long”, Davina replied gravely, “but I need space and that nobody interrupts me.”

“You will get it”, Jeremy promised grimly.

The two hunters and the witch marched off, and after a few minutes they arrived at the lawn. Davina sat cross-legged in the middle and prepared everything for the spell.

Jeremy and Matt positioned themselves so that they could protect Davina from an attack out of every direction. But as far as they could tell, no Blood had escaped the building so far.

*****

Kol had decided on an explosive entrance. The Bloods had killed the rightful owners and had therefore no official claim on the building, he didn’t need their invitation to enter.

When Kol burst through the door, the Bloods sprang apart. They were surprised because no one had dared before to challenge them so open and directly. When they saw that it was just a man, they were thoroughly amused if a little confused.

“Hello, I'm Kol Mikaelson. On behalf of my family, the Originals, I hereby declare war on the Bloods.” Kol smirked. “You should be glad it's me. My brother Elijah would first give you a long lecture about your bad behaviour before he would declare war on your folk and start killing you, while my brother Klaus would kill you without any explanation. I prefer a short declaration of war.”

“You made a mistake when you came here alone, human”, said a Blood, not pleased by this insolence.

Kol laughed. “You see, this is where you are wrong, I am not human!” Kol changed his face and gave the Blood just enough time to recognize him for what he was before he stood before him and tore his head off. Blood splashed all over his face and Kol grinned bloodthirsty, his last massacre had been simply too long ago. Best of all, this time he had the permission from his wife and his brothers. “So, who wants to die next?”

Without waiting for an answer, Kol raced to the next Blood and tore his heart out. Before long, screams could be heard all over the building as Kol ruthlessly pursued the Bloods, killing anyone who came near him. For the moment, he ignored those who fled from him.

Kol was relieved that the Bloods had started wearing uniforms, which made it so much easier to identify them.   
As he moved through the rooms in search for survivors, was he a little confused to find out, he no longer possessed the same unbridled pleasure in killing as before or that he revelled in it. It looked as if Davina had actually exorcised part of his bloodthirst and to be honest, he wasn't sad about it, even if he would never admit this to her.

Finally, nobody was alive anymore in the upper part of the building, only the basement remained as a hideout. Kol glanced outside to see if Davina and the others were still okay. He was pleased to see that Davina was still working on her spell while Jeremy and Matt killed every Blood, who had escaped his slaughter and who came near them. It didn't look like they had much trouble with them.

Kol waved briefly to Jeremy when he looked in his direction, who promptly returned the signal. 

Kol entered the basement to hunt the remaining Bloods, who no longer dared to face him in open combat. They ambushed him but every weapon they used against him proved to be ineffective. Kol laughed savage at every failed attack.

Finally, Kol had searched almost the entire basement, and no Blood, who had hidden in it, had gotten away with his life. The only thing, he hadn’t found in the embassy, were humans, at least until now and there was only one door, he hadn't opened yet.

The first thing Kol smelled, after he opened the last door, was the overpowering stench of people living in fear. The hallway consisted of basement rooms converted into cells. Thick iron bars opened the cells to the hallway without any privacy for the people who were locked inside. They were men, women and, what shocked even Kol, children of every age group. 

With deadly silence watched the people in the cells, how Kol walked slowly down the hallway, looking in every cell. 

When Kol saw, under which circumstances the humans had to live here, he was starting to get angry. Slowly he understood, why Elijah was so fixated on stopping the Bloods. Kol remembered that Klaus had told him that Elijah had been in several prison camps of the Bloods. If they had been like this too, it was no wonder, why they made his brother so mad.

Kol didn't bother to say soothing platitudes, the humans wouldn't believe him anyway. At the end of the hallway the last of the Bloods had huddled together.

Kol grinned at them. “I must say, I find it kind of poetic, that you use the prison, where you locked up all these people, as your last refuge. How do I open these cells? One at a time, or is there some way to open them all at once?”

The Bloods looked at each other.

“I would advise you to answer me. So far I've been nice and killed everyone very quickly. You don't want to know what I could do to you when I decide to take my time.” Kol grinned malicious and the Bloods shuddered.

“There's a red button on the desk, it opens all the doors at once”, answered a Blood hoarsely.

Kol positioned himself between the Bloods and the cells, turning his back on them carefree and unconcerned. “Then open the cell doors and you better hope, this button does what you say.”

The Blood swallowed and pressed the button, the doors popped open.

“You can all go, the way is free and up there is no Blood alive anymore, who can stop you”, Kol spoke softly. It was so still in the basement that everyone could hear him any without difficulties.

At first exited the humans their cells only reluctantly but when neither Kol nor the Bloods made any attempt to stop them, they hurriedly ran towards the exit. Soon all cells were empty.

“And what shall I do with you now?” Kol smiled nastily and thoughtfully at the Bloods, who backed away from him in panic.

*****

Jeremy had positioned himself between Davina and the embassy. Matt kept an eye on the edge of the forest.

It was some time before the first Bloods escaped the embassy. Most of them stopped briefly when they saw the group on the lawn but then they ran away, they had completely lost their will to fight. Jeremy and Matt let them escape, protecting Davina was their job, nothing else

Davina was now completely absorbed in her magic and did no longer notice anything of her surroundings. Jeremy remembered, how Bonnie could forget everything around her when using her magic, and doubled his alertness.

But finally there were a couple of Bloods, who didn’t want to run away. Jeremy regarded them with cold eyes and got ready to fight. Fortunately, neither of the Bloods carried firearms and so they felt superior to Jeremy and Matt, who had only pulled their machetes. 

The Bloods attacked and Jeremy defended himself against them, first alone and then with the help of Matt. Eventually one of them broke through and lunged at Davina. She raised her hand, made a gesture and the Blood's head turned 180 degrees, his neck broken.

The rest of the Bloods, already traumatised by Kol’s attack and the fight against the two Hunters, who weren’t so easy to beat as they had thought, decided that they had enough. That final display of skills, they had never encountered before, broke their last resistance and they fled.

“Cool trick”, said Jeremy impressed.

“A little trick my sister-in-law taught me”, Davina said with a charming smile, before concentrating on her spell again. After a few minutes, Davina chanted several words that Jeremy couldn't understand, then glowing red lines moved away from Davina, forming a pattern.

“It is done”, she said solemnly and stretched out her legs, which ached from bending over in the uncomfortable position for so long. Jeremy held out his hand to her, which she gratefully accepted and he pulled her up. Davina sighed. “I could have gotten up on my own 10 years ago.”

“Age is catching up with us all”, said Jeremy quietly. “It must be strange, growing old next to a vampire.”

“Yes, it is.” Davina sighed. “People are starting to look at us and especially me strangely. Lately I've been wondering whether I should ask Kol to turn me.” Davina laughed oddly. “If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would ever consider turning into a vampire…” She shrugged.

“You will lose your magic”, said Jeremy understandingly.

“Yes, I know.” Davina sighed again. “And I will miss it but I don't want to leave my husband alone. And he doesn't want to lose me either but he hasn't even once urged me to take this step.”

“Kol has changed a lot”, Matt said thoughtfully, still keeping an eye on the area.

“Somehow that goes for all the Originals, even Klaus. Don't get me wrong, he's still a bastard, but he has calmed considerable down too. Sometimes he can even be nice.”

“I find that hard to believe”, said Matt dryly.

“Oh, believe me, I know how you feel.” Davina laughed.

A few more Bloods came out of the embassy, moving with stiff steps. Jeremy knew at once that they were compelled. Instead of looking at the small group, they walked down the street that led into the city.

Kol followed them after out of the building after a few minutes and ran towards the small group, gleefully grinning. “Are you ready to leave, my love?”

“Yes, we can go”, replied Davina.

“We should hurry, the embassy should blow up any moment”, Kol said, still grinning. He loved to spread chaos and destruction, a character trait he shared with Klaus, much to Elijah’s continued annoyance.

Davina sighed. “Of course it will. You just couldn't resist, could you?”

“I just wanted to fulfil my job thoroughly”, said Kol with false hurt feelings.

Davina snorted contemptuously at this display, not believing it for a second, she knew better.

Jeremy and Matt wisely stayed out of the argument. They might not know much about the couple's normal dynamics, but that this banter was just mutual reassurance that the other was okay, was obvious to them.

They had just reached the edge of the forest when the embassy blew up.

Kol turned and looked proudly at his handiwork. “One of my better performances!”

“On the other hand, he hasn't changed so much either”, Davina said dryly.

Jeremy and Matt laughed.

Kol looked at the three sceptically. “I better not ask. Go ahead, I'll change my clothes and then follow you. The forest is quiet, I think the Bloods are all gone, but stay alert.”

“We'll keep protecting her”, promised Jeremy.

Matt nodded and started walking, Davina staying direct behind him and Jeremy bringing up the rear.

Only a few minutes passed before Kol re-joined them, this time with clean clothes.

“Then off to the airport. Don't forget to look appropriately shocked when we watch the news reports.” Kol grinned in anticipation of the coverage.

The three humans exchanged glances and just sighed, in some matters Kol was still his old self.


	23. Chapter 23

Elijah entered the kitchen as the last one. Everyone else was already sitting at the table and having breakfast but the mood was still a little subdued from the evening before.

In the background a television was playing, tuned to the Denver news channel, and Klaus kept glancing again and again at the screen. Elijah looked questioningly at his brother, who only shook his head. 

“Good Morning everyone.” Elijah sat across from Desmond, who beamed at him.

“Dad told me, you and I are going into town for sightseeing.”

“That's right. I'll show you the French Quarter, then we'll go to the fair and if you then still have enough energy, I know a nice playground where you can let off steam.” Elijah grinned at Desmond.

“That sounds great.” Desmond looked satisfied. After his long captivity, he finally wanted to run again, feel the sun on his face and especially breathe fresh air.

Klaus suddenly sat up and turned up the volume of the TV. The conversations fell silent and everyone's attention turned to the screen.

Breaking News!   
Shortly after dawn this morning, the Blood embassy in Denver was attacked. According to reports from people, which were held there, only one person carried out this attack. Most Bloods were killed, all humans freed and the embassy reduced to rubble. The authorities are now in the process of recovering the bodies. So far 200 deaths have been counted and because until now only a part of the rooms have been searched, it is expected that the numbers will further increase.  
The reporter apparently didn't quite know, whether to put on an appropriate dismayed face or to grin broadly.   
The police were also able to arrest a couple of Bloods, who barely managed to escape with their lives. According to our source, they confirmed that only one person is responsible for this massacre. We are now switching to our helicopter, who is sending us live pictures.

The image switched to a man who held on tightly to his seat and spoke loudly into his microphone, filmed from a strong wobbling camera. The fire, which is still raging in parts of the building, is causing updrafts, which makes this flight very turbulent.

The shaky camera now showed the completely devastated embassy.

“Kol seems to have had a lot of fun”, Klaus said with a grin.

“Yes, it looks like it”, Elijah agreed amused. “You can always trust on Kol to wreak havoc.”

What is only visible from the air is a symbol that has been burned into the lawn. According to reports, it is currently not possible to determine the way it was created or with which method.

The camera now showed the lawn, burned into it the Mikaelson's crest.

It looks like a message to the Bloods, said the reporter in the studio.

Right, and whoever sent this message shouldn't be underestimated. We all know how strong the Bloods have become. To imagine that someone could go in there alone and do this to them is kind of unsettling.

Yes, but we also need to remember that whoever carried out this attack set the humans free. His goal was solely the Bloods! The reporter glanced at a sheet of paper in front of her. We showed heraldry experts this crest but they couldn't attribute it to any family or clan. We'll keep you updated on this surprising event.

Klaus turned off the television. “I think, we got our message and intentions clear across.”

“Let's wait and see, what reactions we get, be it from allies or enemies”, said Elijah with a cold smile.

After breakfast, Elijah and Desmond went on their way to see the French Quarter. At first Desmond looked a little scared but the more they walked through the streets and stalls without anything happening, the livelier he became.

Elijah had previously told Desmond that he should always stay close to him and not just run away, when he saw something interesting. As a result Desmond now pulled Elijah after him every time he saw something, which he wanted to take a closer look at, and Elijah readily allowed it. Elijah had also made sure that Desmond had some pocket money available, so that he could buy whatever he wanted.

Elijah was aware of the two vampires, who followed Desmond and him inconspicuously. Undoubtedly they had received this assignment from Klaus to watch his back and to ensure Desmond’s safety.  
He also noticed the attention the witches and werewolves on the streets paid him, when they saw him and Desmond together.

Elijah was greatly amused by the apprehensive and sometimes confused looks, caused by the uninhibited and fearless way Desmond interacted with him. However, he thought it was to the credit of the stallholders that they behaved in a completely friendly manner towards Desmond, whom they immediately recognized as a normal human, and served him courteously.

Desmond bought a lot of presents and everything else, which took his fancy. Elijah carried for him the shopping bags with one hand, while with the other he sometimes stopped Desmond, if the latter forgot his promise to always remain near Elijah. Luckily Elijah had practice in hauling shopping bags, after all, he had to go more than once on forced shopping tours with Freya and Rebekah. 

In the meantime, the previous uncertainty and confusion of the witches and werewolves had given way to amusement. It didn’t bother Elijah as long as no one spoiled Desmond's mood or fun.

“Are you hungry yet?” Elijah asked some time later.

“Yes, I am starving”, replied Desmond.

“Have you ever eaten gumbo?” 

Desmond looked unsure. “I don’t know!”

“Then let us eat here.” They stood in front of the Rousseau, where they still served good food. 

When Elijah entered the bar, all conversations fell silent, but when the customers saw that a child followed him, the background noise returned to normal. They knew that the Original would under these circumstances neither tolerate trouble or fighting nor would he start it.

They sat down at the usual table of the Mikaelsons and the waitress came immediately to take their order. Desmond tried at first the gumbo a little cautiously, but then he enthusiastically tucked in and even wanted a second serving, which he of course got. 

When the waitress came to give him his bill, Elijah asked if he could leave the bags with her and promised that he would later send someone to pick them up. After all, they still wanted to visit the fair and Elijah was convinced that Desmond would see things there too, he would want to buy. The waitress immediately agreed, she liked Elijah, who always treated her politely and respectful.

Almost two hours and an interesting walk over the fair later, Elijah sat next to several bags on a park bench with an open jacket. He enjoyed the sun and watched Desmond as he played with several children, which he had just met at the playground. He had to admit that he hadn't felt this relaxed or had this much fun in years. Elijah was a little sad that he never had the opportunity to do something like that with Hope.

A few minutes later Elijah felt someone watching him. “What can I do for you, Vincent?” He asked calmly.

“How did you know it was me?” Vincent asked and sat down next to Elijah.

“Who else would the parents call, when they see their child playing with a child accompanied by an Original? What is your prevailing theory so far? Did I kidnap and compel him or will he be my next meal?” Elijah sounded bitter. “After all, I'm a punk without a soul or virtue.”

Vincent swallowed at this swipe, so that old wound still hadn't healed. “Honestly, neither. Nobody, who's seen you in the French Quarter or at the fair with him, would for a moment believe that he didn't volunteer to be with you or that you don't want his best.”

Both men remained silent for a few minutes and watched the children.

“Enviable, that energy”, Vincent said at last.

“I envy their innocence”, Elijah replied quietly.

“So, this is the boy you saved”, Vincent changed again the subject.

“Yes, Desmond Swann.” Elijah chuckled. “Though his correct name is Desmond Salvatore.”

Vincent sat up in surprise at the familiar surname. “What's his father's given name?”

“Damon.” Elijah smiled knowingly at Vincent.

“Well, that explains a lot for me”, said Vincent thoughtfully. Every self-respecting witch knew about Damon Salvatore, both in terms of the cure and his history with witches.

“I assumed as much.” Elijah watched Desmond run towards him but then he stopped suspiciously when he saw Vincent. When he got closer, he held Elijah between himself and Vincent. “Desmond, this is Vincent, he is the spokesman for the witches of New Orleans.”

“Hello”, said Desmond shyly, his previous insecurity back.

“Hello, Desmond”, Vincent kindly returned the greeting.

“What can I do for you, Desmond?” asked Elijah smiling. He knew of course, he had heard the children talking about it.

“There's an ice cream truck back there.” Desmond indicated the car, which was about 100 meters away. “Can I go there with the others and buy an ice?”

Elijah let his gaze wander and couldn't find anything that spoke against it. “Of course, Desmond. Do you still have enough money?”

“Yeah. Do you want one too, Elijah, or you, Vincent?”

“A fruit ice cream for me. Thanks, Desmond”, answered Elijah.

“Same for me”, Vincent replied.

Desmond raced off and Elijah made an inconspicuous head movement. 

It was only when an apparently young woman started to move after the boy that Vincent noticed the two vampires. “An Escort?”

“I can't have my eyes everywhere”, Elijah replied.

“They are very discreet. Klaus’s orders?”

“Probably yes. Another option is Josh”, answered Elijah calmly.

“Yes, that is possible too. I watched this morning very interesting coverage from Denver. Kol?”

“Kol”, Elijah confirmed. “With a little help from Davina and two other old enemies of ours.”

“A lot of old enemies of your family are emerging right now?” Vincent sounded questioning.

“Well, actually they are more like old friends of Damon. They haven't seen him in many years and as soon as they heard that he is now in New Orleans...” Elijah shrugged his shoulders, always keeping his eyes on Desmond while talking.

“I understand. I explained everything to the witches, their vote will take place this evening. The werewolves and the human faction will also make their decision today.”

“Good to hear. Are you going to vote tonight too?”

“No, I've already given my recommendation and my vote”, replied Vincent calmly. “My presence is no longer required.”

“Sounds like your evening is free. Do you want to join us for dinner? We will first exchange our knowledge and then later start negotiations with our old enemies or should I say, argue with them a lot.” Elijah sounded ironic with the next few words. “I can promise you an interesting but not necessarily peaceful evening. And you can afterwards inform the leaders of the other factions about our findings.”

“That sounds tempting. How can I resist?” Vincent replied dryly.

Elijah chuckled. “Oh, you will have your fun. So, when the votes are today, will we meet for the rest of the negotiations tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock in the compound?”

“Yes, I'll inform the others”, Vincent confirmed.

Then Elijah’s smartphone rang and he took it irritated out. It was agreed that no one would disturb him until he got back. After looking at the number, he frowned, he didn't recognize it. “Yes?” He asked reserved.

*****

Niklos watched the new reports from Denver and could hardly believe, what he was seeing and hearing. “What do we know?” He asked his security chief, who sat beside him and watched too.

“Nothing, the attack came out of the blue, we had no warnings beforehand.” Samuel Walters hesitated. “Do you think, it has anything to do with these Originals?”

“Probably. Did anyone from Denver, who managed to escape, contact you?”

“Yes, a few, the police didn’t get everyone, they are already on their way to us. I expect them to arrive in the next few hours, they will be brought straight to you.” Walters hesitated again. “You know, that Denver is lost to us?”

“Yes, I know.” Niklos stared angrily at the screen. “I want to know who is responsible for this. They have to pay.”

The security chief hesitated again. “There is a bar I stumbled upon and where I go often, when I have time. The customers there know what I am but they don't seem to care about it very much. When I was there to relax, I heard scraps of conversation and sometimes they mentioned the terms Originals, New Orleans and the name Mikaelson.”

Niklos stared at the M over the crest. “Take some of your guys and shake things up! See what you can find out!”

“Yes, sir.” The chief of security stood up. In anticipation of this order, he had already made preparations for it. He regretted losing his favourite bar but there was nothing to be done about it.

Half an hour later they were standing in front of the bar, he and fifty of his people. That would certainly be enough men to subdue everyone present and get answers.

When he walked into the bar, everyone looked at the television, where there was still coverage of Denver. As soon as those present saw the crest burned into the lawn, they all started talking enthusiastic to each other, looking very excited and pleased.

The security chief was content, here he would definitely be able to find out something. He made a wave of his hand and his people spread out all over the room. The customers present fell silent when they saw this, but they didn't look particularly scared. He got a weird feeling at this but he ignored it. “Everybody listen, nobody moves!”

A dark-haired woman stood up. “What do you want from us?” Her voice was cold.

“Who of you can tell me something about the Originals?” Samuel asked harshly, his question resulted in even more talk.

The woman smiled slightly. “Don't mess with them or provoke them!” She glanced at the television. “However, I believe that this advice comes way too late for you. Now my only advice for you is to hide forever or surrender to them, if the Originals are still ready to accept it.” She shrugged. “However, I will tell you right away that mercy is not a quality that Klaus or Elijah possess in abundance.”

“Have this Klaus or Elijah also surnames?” He asked curtly.

“Mikaelson, they are brothers. They live in New Orleans, but you probably already know this.” The woman laughed. “What did you do to make them so mad with you?”

Samuel thought for a moment, then shrugged. It didn't matter anyway, they were going to kill or take everyone with them. “New Orleans is our next target, we are planning an invasion to take possession of the city.”

The woman whistled. “Yes, that would do it! Wow, you don’t do things half-heartedly, do you? This was not a good idea, the Originals consider New Orleans their home and they will protect it from all threats or harm.” She took another look at the screen. “Let me guess, you lost contact with your people there? Then they know about your plans and this looks like their answer.”

“We lost contact with one base, yeah. When I describe a man to you, can you tell me who he is?” asked Samuel. Niklos had given him a description of the man.

“It depends, describe him to me!”

Samuel described the man Niklos had spoken to and told her what had happened during that conversation.

“This is Elijah Mikaelson, he is the oldest of the Originals.” She laughed strangely. “He's the brother, who leads the negotiations, should they happen, and I suspect Klaus killed the Blood. These two believe in sharing their tasks and responsibilities but sometimes they take turns on who does what.”   
The woman laughed mockingly. “By the way, if it is Elijah, who comes for you, you are dead. Klaus is known to be capricious and you can sway him if you are convincing enough but if Elijah comes, he has already made up his mind.”

“Good to know. Since you seem to know so much about them, you will come with me! We'll take the others with us too. Those of you who resist us, will be killed!” Samuel looked arrogantly at the woman, convinced that she had been so informative out of fear for him. 

The woman chuckled amused and all other customers followed her lead. Then suddenly she stood in front of him, a hand griped his throat and she threw him onto the counter. “Kill them all!”

Samuel heard the horrified screams of his men and tried to fight back, but the woman was inhumanly strong. Finally it got quiet and she let go of him. He stood up on shaky legs and looked around. His people were laying scattered on the ground, and from their staring, empty, open eyes he could see that they were all dead.  
The humans, who had been in the bar, now stood all in a circle around him and their faces looked as weird as Niklos had described Elijah’s face to him.

“What do we do with him?” One of the men spoke.

The woman took out her smartphone and scrolled through her contacts before finding the number she wanted.

All the vampires heard the call go through a few times before a cultivated, cool male voice answered. “Yes?”

“It's Celia Montagnue, sir! It has been a few hundred years since we last saw each other.” Walters’s eyes grew big at these words. “I don't know if you still remember me?”

“Of course I remember you, Celia.” The voice grew warmer. “What can I do for you?”

“It is more, what I can do for you. We're just admiring your family's message to the Bloods. It is a thing of beauty!”

“I'll give your compliments to Kol.” Now the voice was amused.

“Yes, I thought, it was the handwriting of this little pyromaniac. We just had a clash with some Bloods. One of them has stopped by in our bar a number of times in the past few months. It may be that he picked up some names and now came to find out more.”

“Is everything okay with you and your people?”

“The Bloods aren't particularly impressive as fighters, not against us.” Celia looked coolly at Walters.

“That's good to hear. In which city are you?”

“I'm in Waterloo in Iowa and I left one of them alive for you. Do you want to interrogate him, Elijah?” Celia put him now on speaker.

“This is a bad time, so we have to make it quick. Ask him, who he is.”

Celia compelled the Blood. “Answer every question truthfully. Who are you and which function do you hold by the Bloods?”

“I am Samuel Walters and I’m the security chief of Calix Niklos.”

“Is Niklos in Waterloo too?” asked Elijah curiously. 

“Yes, he is. He sent me to find out more about you.”

“How exceedingly fortunate for us. Celia, compel him to spy for us and to report everything he learns to you.” Elijah liked lucky coincidences like this. “You said, you killed the rest of them. Can you find a way that his escape and sole survival arouses no suspicion?”

“Leave everything to me, Elijah!” said Celia determined. 

“Thank you for this! Please don’t contact me tomorrow, I have important negotiations with the factions of New Orleans.” Elijah sighed. “As soon as I can I will contact you.”

“I understand, sir!” Celia hung up, then she looked at Walters. “Well, it looks like you now working for us.”

The vampires around her cackled and Walters wondered what he had gotten into and whether he would get out of this alive.

*****

Elijah hung up just in time before Desmond was too close to hear more. It was also the first time he saw what time it had become. If he wanted to be back on time for his appointment with Damon, they had to go now. Desmond handed him and Vincent their ice cream. “Thanks, Desmond. I forgot the time a little, unfortunately we have to leave. Please say goodbye!”

Desmond looked disappointed. “Now?”

“I'm sorry, Desmond. But I am sure we can repeat that again.” Elijah smiled understandingly. “Though maybe not in the next few days.”

Desmond nodded. He'd heard enough of the adults' conversations to know that the next few days would be critical. “Okay, Elijah.” He trotted off to say goodbye to his new friends.

Vincent waited patiently until Desmond was out of earshot. “Who is she?”

“She was one of my first recruits to the Strix. By the way she belongs to Rebekah’s Sireline. After Tristan took over the Strix and began to corrupt them, she and a few others refused to follow him any longer and instead swore their loyalty to me. I have met her and the others again and again over the centuries and we have always separated on friendly terms.”

“There are more Strix?” Vincent asked anxiously.

“Yeah, but they're not like the one you met. They form a loose network, exchange information and give each other help if necessary. In fact, for vampires, they are remarkably peaceful and sociable. They turned out just as I had hoped for the Strix.” Elijah shrugged.

It took Vincent a few minutes to digest this news. Every time he thought the Originals couldn't surprise him anymore, they came around the corner with news like this and none of them were better at it than Elijah. “Will they obey your orders?”

“If they think it's right. Their oath of loyalty only lasted as long as Tristan lived. Now that he's dead, they are free of any obligation to me.”

“Will they follow Marcel’s orders too?” Vincent asked further. “Does he even know this Strix faction exists?”

Elijah laughed. “When they think, his orders are better than mine. As I said, they are completely free in their decisions. And no, I never told him about this group.”

“I always thought that Marcel knew all of your secrets?”

“As I said to Alaric, Marcel knows the secrets of Klaus and Rebekah, but not mine.” Elijah grinned. “Or those of Kol. Vincent, we are over 1000 years old. Why do you assume, you know everything about us or have a right to know everything?”

Vincent looked thoughtful and couldn't answer that question.

Elijah nodded, got up and buttoned up his jacket until he looked neat again. Then he took the shopping bags while Desmond came running towards him. “See you tonight, Vincent.”

The Original and the child left and Vincent watched them go.

When Elijah and Desmond entered the courtyard, Rebekah was already waiting for them. “So, did you two have fun?”

“It was great”, said Desmond, beaming.

“I believe you about that.” Rebekah pointed to bags on the table where Josh had the last days sat. “This was left here for you and I see you have more.”

Elijah put his bags with the others. “Why don't you show my sister what you've bought? Shopping is also her favourite hobby.”

“Ignore Elijah, he's boring. Also, the only clothes he regularly buys are his suits. I swear to you, he has hundreds of them.” Rebekah held out her hand and Desmond took it. “Come on, tell me about your day!” Rebekah gave Elijah a meaningful look. “Elijah, Klaus, Damon and Alaric are waiting for you in your office.”

“Thank you Rebekah!” Elijah said, not only for the message, but also that she would distract Desmond. Whatever Damon was trying to tell them, it wasn't anything a child should hear.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, please read carefully, this chapter contains descriptions of torture and abuse and could be triggering.
> 
> Secondly, I am not a scientist so everything I wrote is of course made up, although I've tried to make it sound plausible, so should a scientist read this, please forgive me *lol.
> 
> Thirdly, I hope you like the reveal even if a few of you already guessed it right.

Damon and Alaric waited in Elijah’s study for the arrival of the oldest Original, who was uncharacteristically late for his standards, and Klaus kept them company. He knew how Elijah reacted, if others sniffed around in his things. Klaus didn't think either of the men would do that but he didn't want to tempt them either. 

Since he had promised Elijah to show his best demeanour for this meeting, Klaus kept quiet and the three men didn’t exchange a word with each other but the silence was far from uncomfortable.

However, nothing prevented Klaus from observing Damon secretively, he had never before seen him so shaken. After all, this was the same man who had stood up to him more than once without hesitation and looked him in the eye without showing any fear. And the way Alaric kept staring at Damon with concern, gave Klaus pause too.

When Elijah finally entered his studio, all three unconsciously sat up. “I apologize for my tardiness, I forgot the time.”

“Is everything alright with Desmond?” Damon asked worried.

“Yes, don't worry, we had a lot of fun. He's now sitting downstairs with Rebekah, showing and telling her everything he has bought and done.” Elijah smiled slightly. “She will bring him to his room afterwards. I think as soon as his excitement over the excursion abates, he will be really tired.”

Damon was relieved to hear that, but there was now no reason anymore to delay the telling of this story and he took a deep breath. “I have never before told anyone the whole story, all my friends only know fragments.” Damon lifted the book so that Klaus and Elijah could see the symbol on the cover. “They call themselves the Augustine Society.

I was their prisoner and their test subject from 1953 to 1958, after a member of my family betrayed me for money.” Damon smiled grimly. “The last thing I did before I passed out was to kill him, so that he could not profit from his betrayal.

Another vampire, who had the cell next to me, had been their prisoner for 10 years, his name was Enzo. He and I became friends and we saved each other's sanity more than once when the other was about to give up.”

Damon swallowed. “Enzo and I were tortured, beaten, and humiliated for five years, all in the name of science. They removed body parts, gouged repeatedly our eyes out and they eviscerated us. Shortly, everything, you can imagine in terms of experiments was done to us.”

Alaric watched as the eyes of Klaus and Elijah grew angrier and colder as the story progressed but none of them interrupted Damon to ask him questions.  
However, Alaric noticed too that Elijah kept looking full of concern at Klaus. Alaric recalled how Klaus had been a prisoner too and been brutally tortured by Marcel. Damon’s story hit certainly a little too close to home for Klaus, even after all this time.

“Each of us got only a cup of blood a day, just enough to survive. And sometimes they would starve us, if it was part of their experiments or if they wanted to punish us. We were often without blood for weeks.

We were only taken upstairs once a year, where the scientists, who experimented on us, showed the healing powers of vampire blood to other members of Augustine. They injured those members slightly and then they gave them our blood, which healed them. That day was our only chance to escape but we were too weak.

After the fourth New Year's Eve, Enzo suggested that one of us should give up our cup of blood for a year so that at least one of us got the strength required to give these bastards a nasty surprise. We went to a draw among ourselves and I won.” Damon sighed.  
“We went through with our plan and on New Year's Eve 1958, when we were brought upstairs, we tried to escape. At first everything went well, I was let out of the cage, broke my chains and started killing everyone. 

During the fight, some things caught fire and when I tried to get Enzo out of the cage, the trouble started. I didn't have any keys and the iron bars were wreathed with vervain.  
Eventually I had to admit that I couldn't free Enzo and that he would die in the flames. The fire was everywhere and every second I stayed in the house meant, I was going to perish too and because I was unable to leave him behind any other way, I flipped the switch and left him behind.” Damon looked devastated.

Elijah got up, poured bourbon into the glass and handed it to Damon, who took the glass and took a sip. Elijah looked questioningly at Alaric, who waved his hand in thanks and Elijah sat down again. Both Klaus and Elijah remained silent and gave Damon time to calm down.

“For the next 50 years I made it my mission to hunt down all of Augustine members and kill them. Enzo and I had often imagined what we would do as revenge to them and now I did it for him. I wiped out every generation but for one survivor, waited for the next generation to grow up, and did it again.”  
Damon laughed bitterly. “It was during this time that I built my reputation as a serial killer and I resisted all attempts or interventions to give me my emotions back.

It wasn't until I returned to Mystic Falls and met Elena that my emotions were slowly coming back again.” Damon grinned reluctantly. “You know, Elijah, the day I finally flipped the switch completely back was the day, we first met.   
After I nailed you to the wall thinking you were dead, Stefan and I brought Elena back home. Then I gave her back the chain with the pendant that you had torn from her neck. I told her how I felt about her and then I erased her memory of it.”

“It was undoubtedly an interesting first encounter”, said Elijah with a slight smile.

Damon returned the grin. “Yes, it was memorable. After the Originals all went back to New Orleans, Elena and Caroline enrolled in college and there they met Aaron Whitmore, the only survivor of my last revenge spree.

I stayed in Mystic Falls until it came to brutal murders on the campus, and to protect Elena und Caroline I followed them. After some back and forth, Elena and I fell into the hands of Augustine again, and I told her a little bit about what had happened.” Damon took a deep breath, then told the rest of what happened afterwards, including the discovery that Enzo was still alive and the murder of Aaron Whitmore. Eventually Damon fell silent and waited for the Mikaelson brothers to ask their questions.

As expected, it was Klaus who asked the first question. “What are Augustine's goals?”

Alaric raised an eyebrow. He had actually expected Klaus to make disparaging remarks or comments, but Klaus’s facial expression was just grim, focused on the problem and strangely understanding. 

Elijah on the other hand stared absent-mindedly into space, and whatever he saw in his mind was definitely not pleasant or painless.

“Back in the 50s, Augustine wanted to harness the healing powers of vampires to help humans.” Damon hesitated for a moment. “The second time, they were more interested in creating a vampire, who could defeat even much older vampires. Maxwell turned Jesse, one of his students, with the help of a serum into a vampire, who was able to defeat me a few hours after his turning.”

Klaus drew in a breath of surprise, he had no illusions about Damon's strength or his ability to fight. The idea that a newbie vampire could defeat him after a few hours was a terrifying thought. “Are we talking about an enhanced vampire? What strength did this Jesse have? Like Alaric, more or less?”

“I doubt he could have beaten an Original but I don't know what would have become of him if he had survived. But I know one thing, Augustine made him so that he could drink human blood, but what he really wanted and what he preferred was the blood of vampires.”

“Like Mikael?” Elijah whispered, shaken. Klaus winced when he heard his stepfather's name.

“Yes, although Mikael did so out of his own free will and out of spite. Jesse was clearly programmed to do it, they wanted him this way.” Damon swallowed again, now came what really bothered him most and what he least wanted to tell. “The Augustine Vampires were created as a weapon against normal vampires.”

Elijah was deeply alarmed. “Does Augustine still have this serum? How many of these Augustine Vampires are there?”

“No, I destroyed all research results, Augustine has no chance of developing this serum ever again. And there are only three vampires, who have been given this serum.”

“Who are they?” Klaus asked coldly, already busy devising a plan to eliminate this threat.

“Relax, Klaus, it is unnecessary to make plans.” Damon laughed without any humour. “Jesse and Enzo are both dead and the third vampire...” Damon broke off.

“Who is the third vampire?” Elijah asked gently, already guessing the answer.

“The third vampire was me.” Damon looked the Originals straight in the eye.

Klaus frowned. “You weren't a super vampire, we would have heard about that.”

“Magic is a fine thing, Bon-Bon helped me and made me a normal vampire again.” Damon made a face. “It wasn't easy and downright painful.”

“I can imagine it.” Elijah looked like something was bothering him. He got up, got his laptop, who was laying on the desk and booted it up. Then he reached into his pants pocket and took out a USB stick, which he put into the port and gave Damon the laptop. “There is a Blood, who spies on the other Bloods and keeps secrets from them. The data on this stick was well hidden on his computer but Josh found it. See, if you can find something out for us from it!”

Damon took the laptop and went through the data. After half an hour he closed the laptop and looked at Elijah. “Do you want to hear first the good news or the bad news?”

Elijah and Klaus exchanged looks, then answered unanimously. “First the bad news!”

“The Bloods weren’t created as I thought they were. The prions play a part in it but the cause is not natural and it didn't come from Antarctica.”

“From where then?” Klaus asked grimly.

“I do not know yet. This Augustine scientist was rather busy studying the Bloods, their reactions and abilities, but he does not go into their origins.”

“What is the good news?” Elijah asked suspiciously. He didn't trust good news, they had a bad habit of getting his family into trouble.

“Something went wrong, the Bloods are much weaker than planned.” Damon laughed grimly. “I always thought that the research station had pulled something out of the ice, which caused all of this. But now it looks like they took it to Antarctica to improve it there.”

“And then they made a mistake, and released the virus or whatever it is, before they could fine-tune and perfect it”, added Elijah, whose mind started putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

“Exactly, instead of Augustine creating a strong Blood capable of taking on a vampire, it split up the characteristics of a vampire and created different subspecies as soon as it infected a human. Strength, speed, the ability to influence people, but not through compulsion but through pheromones.”

“Would these pheromones have an effect on us?” Elijah asked worried.

Damon frowned. “It is possible, we would have to test it.”

“So we have a lot of weak bloods, without the ability to get stronger when they age”, summarized Klaus.

“Yes, then they are still alive. I don't think this virus was designed to give them immortality”, answered Damon.

Elijah still looked absent-minded, so Klaus asked. “What are you worried about, brother?”

“Worry is the wrong word, I thought about something. The cure only works against magic, not against science, correct?” Elijah looked at Damon. “Is it possible, that there is still a tendency to vampirism in your blood because of the serum Augustine gave to you? Would it have any effect on Desmond?”

“Damn it”, whispered Damon, as his scientific mind began to work and put things together. “I once said to Desmond that I don't understand, why the cure for vampirism that I passed on to him through my DNA prevented Desmond from turning into a Blood. I even said to him, that this two conditions have nothing to do with each other.” Damon laughed a little hysterical.

“If vampire blood was used to develop the virus that created the Bloods…” Elijah didn't have to finish the sentence.

“Is it not surprising, when the witches say that something is wrong with the Bloods”, said Klaus grimly. “Not only because they carry vampire blood in themselves, which makes them unnatural for the witches but they were created through science too.”

Alaric and Damon exchanged looks. There was something fascinating about watching the two Originals begin to work towards the same conclusion from two different directions. Add to that a thousand years of experience in warfare and destruction, there wasn't much, the Mikaelsons couldn't do, when they put their mind to it.

“But I think that there is more, that there is something, we are still missing”, said Elijah softly. “Perhaps Freya and Bonnie can find it out, they plan a spell based on blood magic.”

“Oh, that's not good”, said Klaus quietly.

“How so? What is the problem?” Alaric asked curiously.

“It is a dangerous spell that requires a lot of power”, Elijah explained. “Not every witch can perform this spell, but Freya and Bonnie together?” Elijah shrugged. “Nevertheless, there is a residual risk.”

“Blood magic can determine the origin of blood and whether there is only one source or multiple sources. If there are multiple sources of blood, the last part of the spell will not work.   
If there is only one source, Freya and Bonnie can create an image of the person, from whom the blood comes, and then we will know, who Augustine used for the virus”, Klaus took over the explanation again.

“How is that helping us?” Alaric asked confused.

“Knowledge”, Elijah and Klaus replied together again.

In response to Alaric’s still confused look, Elijah continued. “If we find out who it is, we might be able to find out his last whereabouts and perhaps get a clue, where Augustine’s new secret base is.”

“In any case, we now know who's using the Bloods as cannon fodder”, said Klaus with a shrug.

“Can I take your laptop with me, Elijah? I want to go through the other files.” Damon looked at Elijah questioningly.

“Yes sure. If you need anything else, just say it”, said Elijah kindly.

“I'd like to speak to the Blood who works for Augustine”, Damon replied. “I have a couple of questions for him. Most of all I want to know, if they are aware that Damon Salvatore and Luther Swann are one and the same person?”

“That can be arranged”, agreed Klaus. “I assume, you want to read first everything that is on the stick?”

“That might be best, but it'll take me a couple of hours. And tonight, now that everyone is in one place, we have more important things to do, namely a lot of talking and arguing.” Damon grinned wickedly at the Originals.

Now it was Klaus and Elijah who exchanged looks.

“Oh, joy”, said Elijah sarcastically.

“Who informs Freya and Bonnie? They need to know what we've learned about the Bloods”, said Klaus gravely.

“I'll do that”, Elijah replied dryly. “You and Bonnie in a room, when she is casting a dangerous spell, is not a good combination.”

Klaus growled at his brother. "And what shall I do?"

“You could pick up Kol at the airport, Niklaus”, Elijah suggested with a smile, which Klaus knew only too well. And the way, Elijah used his first name, said him too, that it wasn't meant as a suggestion. “And perhaps you could use the opportunity, to make amends with our brother after your last argument with him. I will ask him later if you really did it."

Klaus glared at his brother. Trust Elijah to find a cruel way to make him pay for his stunt with the clothes. Elijah knew how much Klaus hated it to make errands and Kol knew this too.

As soon as Kol saw him at the airport, he would know that Klaus wasn't there voluntarily. And if he then tried to get along with Kol again too, would he know that Klaus was acting on Elijah’s orders. Which meant he would hear about this forever because Kol enjoyed teasing him too much.

His brother could get really diabolical, as soon as he decided to take his revenge, although that was true about all of his siblings.

“I hate you”, said Klaus resentfully.

“Payback is a bitch”, Elijah replied and smirked.

Damon was grinning weakly now. It looked like this point would go to Elijah. He had to remember to tell Josh about this. Maybe he could explain the subtleties to him, which Damon for now missed.


	25. Chapter 25

Elijah watched Damon withdraw with tired movements into his room. Without a doubt, he wanted to be with his son to distract himself from his distressing and painful memories. He sighed. Who would ever have thought that Damon kept such a cruel secret?

Elijah wanted to go to Freya and Bonnie next to share their new findings with them but first he would call some of his old contacts.  
Elijah smiled maliciously. It was time he turned his attention to Augustine and found out if anyone of his numerous contacts knew anything about them.

He was aware that Klaus also would use his sources, to find out more about Augustine and as soon as his other siblings learned about Augustine, they too would let their connections play. There had to be someone, they had met over the centuries who must have heard of Augustine.

When Elijah entered Freya’s study after his phone calls, he was surprised to see that alongside with Bonnie Jimmy was there too. “Hello, Sister”, he announced himself.

Freya raised her head and smiled at him. “Hello Brother. Did you have fun with Desmond?”

“Yes, it has been a very pleasant morning. Bonnie, Jimmy!” Elijah greeted the others. Bonnie just nodded, already completely concentrated on her magic, while Jimmy returned his greeting.

Elijah thought for a moment, then decided to not send Jimmy away. Damon and he were friends and Damon’s past would soon be partially discussed anyway. And Jimmy could help keeping an attentive eye on Damon, when neither of them was around.

Freya looked searchingly at her brother. She knew this expression, her brother pondered how best to begin. She knew that he, Klaus, Alaric, and Damon had been in a meeting. Whatever it was they had learned, it had to be disturbing if she interpreted his expression right. “What did Damon tell you?”

Elijah looked at Bonnie. “He told us about Augustine.”

Bonnie's face went grey and her eyes were angry. “I understand.” She looked at him. “Did you know Enzo and I were a couple?”

Elijah raised his eyebrows, very surprised at Bonnie's admission. “No, I didn't know that.”

“That man could talk nonstop but even he fell silent when it came to Augustine.” Bonnie looked sad, she would give a lot to hear Enzo’s voice again. “Damon told me a few things when we were stuck in the prison world together but he dodged every further question I made. For both of them it was a topic they only wanted to talk about in a limited way.”

“I can understand why”, said Elijah slowly. “By the way, I have made a few calls, my contacts are now investigating Augustine for me and I would bet that Klaus also will make inquiries.”

Bonnie looked puzzled at first but then she began to grin nastily and vengefully. “If the Originals ever need help in taking down Augustine, you can call me anytime.”

Elijah grinned. “It's good that you say that.”

Then he told his sister, Bonnie and Jimmy, what Damon had told them and the conclusions they had drawn from it.

“Are you saying that Augustine created the Bloods to have a weapon against vampires?” Jimmy asked in disbelief and Bonnie seemed to share his horror.

“Wow, it's like a choice between plague and cholera, but even vampires don't do as much damage in one century as the Bloods have done in one year”, Bonnie voiced her displeasure.

Freya looked just as grim. “It is absolute madness!”

“Therefore it is more important than ever that we learn more about the origins of the Bloods”, Elijah agreed with his sister. “How long do you still need for your preparations?”

Freya looked at Bonnie, who nodded in agreement. “We're done, but we could use your help.”

“In what way?” Elijah asked curiously.

“We want to channel you”, Freya explained. “Your strength could give us the last boost we need. But I warn you, it will get very unpleasant for you!”

“Of course I will help you. Do what you have to do”, agreed Elijah without hesitation.

“Where is Klaus?” Bonnie asked, who was a little surprised that Elijah was here alone. She would have thought that Klaus would not miss this. However, she wasn't unhappy that the pesky hybrid wasn't there.

“He picks up Kol and the others from the airport.” Elijah smiled smugly. “And I courteously urged him to speak with Kol about their dispute.”

Freya’s mouth twitched. “You are a cruel, cruel man”, she chided her little brother.

Elijah shrugged. “Next time he'll think twice before playing a prank like this on me.”

Bonnie rolled her eyes but she was careful not to ask what the prank had been. Everyone from the Mystic Falls Gang knew better than to get involved in the Originals' family squabbles. “Shall we start?” she asked instead energetically.

“Lie down on the table, Elijah!” Freya asked her brother, who immediately complied with her request.

Freya and Bonnie put the other ingredients required for the spell on the table. They placed the bowl of blood with a gap of a few centimetres behind Elijah’s head, then Freya bolted the door and put a blocking spell on it, so that nobody could disturb them.

“Jimmy, no matter what, please stay in the circle I have prepared for you. Also, please keep quiet, a word at the wrong time can have fatal consequences with this spell.” Freya looked seriously at Jimmy, who nodded wordlessly.

Freya and Bonnie stood on either side of Elijah’s head. Without Freya having to say anything, Elijah raised his hands and Bonnie and Freya each took one of his hands. They put their other hand at the bowl so that the circle was closed.

Jimmy watched in fascination as Bonnie and Freya began to chant. Elijah’s face turned grey and throughout streaked with veins. After a short time the blood in the bowl began to boil and then the colour of the blood changed, it became pitch black. Then a vortex formed in the bowl and the blood flowed slowly upward above the bowl where it formed a ball.

He saw how beads of sweat formed on Freya’s and Bonnie’s faces and their chanting became even more urgent and louder. Elijah’s facial features were now contorted with pain and he began to breathe clipped but otherwise didn’t make a sound.

Eventually some of the blood flowed back into the bowl and a head with facial features formed, which Jimmy did not recognize. Freya and Bonnie chanted the last words and then the face took on a more natural look.

Bonnie and Freya let go of Elijah’s hands, who struggled to straighten up, his face was still grey and contorted with pain. He looked at the image and frowned, he didn't know this man.

Bonnie stepped up to the face and hesitantly raised her right hand as if to touch his cheek, but she stopped herself before she could do that. “Enzo?” She whispered disturbed.

Elijah fixated Bonnie. “That is Enzo?”

Bonnie just nodded, completely shaken. It was hard for her to see such a detailed and lifelike image of Enzo again after such a long time.

“Damn it”, Elijah just said and ran a hand over his face, which was slowly returning to its normal appearance.

“Yes”, Bonnie agreed in a lifeless voice.

“Augustine must have stashed his blood somewhere”, said Jimmy, taking that as a sign that he could speak again. “Can I leave the circle now?”

“Of course, Jimmy.” Freya gave him a tired smile. This spell had demanded a lot from her too.

Jimmy left the circle and took a closer look at the head. “It's a shame that vampires don't age, or we might have been able to tell when his blood was drawn.”

Freya and Bonnie exchanged looks.

“We can tell”, Freya replied unhappily. 

“Yes, there's something strange about the blood. I felt reminded of the time, when I helped Damon after he was made into an Augustine Vampire”, agreed Bonnie equally unhappy. “So I'd say they took it from Enzo after Augustine experimented on him.”

Elijah rubbed his forehead. “So we will start with the Whitmore College.” He looked at Bonnie. “I need all the information you and Caroline still have from back then.”

Bonnie nodded resolutely. “I'm talking to her. You get anything you want. It is time for the Augustine Society, to be wiped out once and for all. I owe that to Enzo!”

Elijah and Freya watched Bonnie leave the room with determined steps.

“I'll check on Damon”, said Jimmy, and left too.

“Did you talk to Bonnie about Marcel?” asked Elijah inquisitively.

“No, not yet, but I'll do that at the next opportunity”, Freya replied calmly.

“You should rest, Sister”, said Elijah, looking at her worriedly.

“I would advise you to do the same but since I know you, I'll save my breath”, Freya replied dryly. “Just do me a favour, please eat something!”

“As you wish, Freya.” Elijah smiled cheekily. “I'm hungry anyway.”

Freya mumbled something rude about stubborn brothers when Elijah left the room. She heard Elijah laugh, who of course had heard every word she said.

*****

Kol, Davina, Jeremy and Matt left the airport building. It had been a luxury return flight as Elijah had booked first class seats for them. In addition, he had booked them seats, where they could sit together and across from each other.   
Of course, they hadn't been able to talk about everything, but the mood was good enough, thanks largely to Davina, who had to intervene a few times before the conversation could turn ugly.

When Kol saw that Klaus was the one waiting for them, leaning casually against the car, he narrowed his eyes. “Hmm, how strange!”

Davina frowned too. “Since when plays Klaus the chauffeur?”

“Never”, said Kol curtly. “Something is going on.”

Matt and Jeremy exchanged worried looks before they let themselves fall back a little.

Klaus pushed away from the car, when Kol stopped in front of him. “Hello, Brother!”

“Hello, Brother”, Kol replied the greeting and the two brothers hugged.

“Davina”, Klaus next greeted his sister-in-law and kissed her on the cheek, which she accepted without apparent reluctance.

“Klaus”, replied Davina in the same way.

Next, Klaus gave Jeremy and Matt a friendly grin. “Hello, Jeremy, Matty! How are two of my favourite hunters?”

“I’m well, thank you, Klaus”, responded Jeremy first, eyeing Klaus carefully and not little distrustful because of his civil greeting.

“I’m well too, Klaus, thank you”, Matt replied dryly, who of course shared Jeremy’s doubts.

“Then get in the car”, Klaus said with a grin. “Do you want to sit in the front, Kol?”

Kol slowly started sharing the suspicions of the two humans. He looked at Davina, asking her wordlessly if she wanted to sit in the front, but she defensively shook her head. “Sure, Klaus!”

They got in and Klaus drove off. For the first few minutes everything was quiet until Klaus cleared his throat. “That was excellent work in Denver.”

“Thank you, Klaus”, Kol replied, and waited. Whatever this was about, he didn't mean to make it too easy for his brother.

Klaus sighed in resignation. He had no choice but to take the first step and admit that Kol had been in the right. “Kol, I should have listened to you about Elijah.”

Kol raised his eyebrows inwardly, but his face remained expressionless and he didn't spoke either.

“Your concern was justified and we should have looked for Elijah together. You know me, brother, I was angry with Elijah and fell back into my old behaviour. I am sorry!”

Davina, Jeremy and Matt exchanged perplexed looks in the back seat. A sincere apology from Klaus? What was going on here?

“Okay, who are you and what did you do to my brother?” Kol asked suspiciously.

Klaus cleared his throat again. “My apology was meant sincere.”

“Oh, I see that you are serious about it. But I know you too, Klaus, there's something else going on. You never play the chauffeur, you never admit that you were wrong and you absolutely never apologize for acting like a jackass.” Kol’s voice was blank.

Klaus shifted restlessly back and forth on the seat. His obvious nervousness was evident. “Elijah suggested that I pick you up and he also said that I should make amends with you. He'll ask you later about it.”

Kol began to grin, now slowly realizing what was going on. “What did you do to Elijah?”

“I played a little prank on Elijah, he wasn't amused”, Klaus reluctantly admitted.

“What kind of prank?” Davina asked now interested. It was too seldom that she saw Klaus so uneasy and at a disadvantage, she had to exploit that.

“Yes, Klaus, tell us more!” Kol said, absolutely gleefully.

Klaus knew that he couldn't avoid it, everything went as Elijah had planned. He told them what happened.

Everyone laughed at the image off the usually so proper dressed Elijah in blue jeans and a redplaid cotton shirt.

“However, I still do not understand why you have to play our chauffeur”, Davina said tickled. Of course she knew, but she wanted Klaus to say it out loud. Klaus stared angrily at her through the rear-view mirror and she smiled sweetly at him.

“Like I said, Elijah suggested it”, repeated Klaus.

“Yes, but how did he suggest it?” Kol asked pitilessly, who had far too much fun watching Klaus squirm.

“He had that particular tone in his voice”, Klaus replied sullenly.

“Oh, Elijah uses it a lot, we usually ignore it.” Kol grinned, all siblings knew that tone.

“And then he pronounced my name in that special way”, Klaus finally admitted.

Kol couldn't control himself anymore and began to laugh out loud. “The powerful hybrid is afraid of his big brother”, he mocked bluntly and gleefully.

“As if you wouldn’t be careful when he talks to you like that.” Klaus pouted, not quite ready to give up.

“I've already seen you ignore it.” Kol was having a great time.

“Yes, but after that he got really vicious.” Klaus shuddered when he recalled the few occasions when he had not followed Elijah’s 'suggestions', when Elijah had been in this mood.

“Do you three know that Klaus is fair game on these occasions and that we can annoy him without worries and fear for vengeful reactions”, said Kol. “Elijah is of the opinion that it is good for Klaus’s ego.”

“To be honest, I still don't understand what it's about”, said Jeremy innocently. He was telling the truth, and he was curious about the answer but he was only too happy following Kol's and Davina's example in annoying Klaus.

Klaus knew that, of course, and now Jeremy also got a dirty look in the rear-view mirror.

“There is Elijah, who makes polite suggestions, then is there Elijah, the Family Patriarch, who gives his instructions, and then there is Elijah, the big brother, who has finally enough of our antics”, explained Kol. He wanted to prepare the last act properly, before Klaus could pull himself out of the affair. After all, Kol was acting on behalf of Elijah. “Klaus can explain you the rest.”

Klaus ground his teeth. “You can ignore the first one indefinitely but the second only with a reasonable reason.” Klaus hesitated briefly. “We rarely see the third one, but when we do, we do what he wants.”

“And why?” Matt joined the fun now, who also wanted some of the pleasure of being able to irritate Klaus without any fear of retribution.

“Because this Elijah is very petty. If you don't give up the first time, he'll come up with something even worse and more humiliating for you.” Klaus scowled, he spoke from painful experience. “And he absolutely always has the last word.”

Jeremy and Matt looked thoughtful now. They liked the always calm Elijah best of the Originals but even they knew how frightening he could get.

Davina grinned a little. She had never seen this Elijah but she was sure that Kol had also been at the wrong end of Elijah’s displeasure a few times too. But she wouldn't ask him about it now, because it would distract from Klaus, which she definitely didn't want.

The rest of the journey passed with lively conversation and the relentless ribbing of Klaus, who grudgingly tolerated it.

When they drove into the garage, Elijah was already waiting for them. Klaus got out of the car rather hastily, glad that this trip was over. As he passed Elijah, Elijah asked with false friendliness. “Did you have a pleasant and quiet drive, Niklaus?”

Klaus stopped briefly, but then went on without a word and Elijah looked with a grin after his brother. It would be a couple of decades before Niklaus got the idea of playing a prank on him again.

“Hello, Elijah”, said Kol, who had now gotten out of the car.

“Hello, Kol”, Elijah replied and hugged his brother. “Thank you for your help, Denver was impressive.”

“Always ready to help in such occasions”, Kol said amused.

“Hello, Davina.” Elijah hugged his sister-in-law, who happily returned the hug. She had been really worried about him.

“Jeremy, welcome to New Orleans.” Elijah held out his hand, which Jeremy took without hesitation.

“Thank you, Elijah, also for the first-class tickets, it was a really different kind of travel for us”, said Jeremy before grinning. “And for the free entertainment on the way from the airport too.”

Elijah smirked. “You are welcome.” Then he turned to Matt. “Hello, Matt, you are of course also welcome.” This time he didn't hold out his hand, he knew how Matt thought about vampires. He would let Matt make the first step in deciding, if he wanted to shake hands with him. 

“Thank you, Elijah”, Matt replied and held out his hand, which Elijah took. “I too would like to express my thanks.” Matt gave an amused smile.

“You are welcome. Please come upstairs, rooms have been prepared for you.” Elijah went ahead and everyone followed him.

“How is Damon?” Jeremy asked after his brother-in-law.

Elijah hesitated for a moment. “He's very upset at the moment. It looks like we're dealing with Augustine as the mastermind behind the Bloods.”

Matt and Jeremy stopped and exchanged dismayed looks, while Kol and Davina looked rather confused.

“Dinner is at 8 p.m. Klaus and I will explain everything so that we are all on the same page”, Elijah said in response to their confused looks.

“I can't wait”, Kol replied sarcastically.

Elijah gave a fleeting smile, then took Matt and Jeremy to their rooms. 

Kol and Davina would use their normal rooms, which were always ready for them.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, I’m sorry for disappearing for a month. Between work kicking my butt the last weeks, helping my sister packing und moving and a few other personal things I simply had no time or energy to write. Here a little update but I don’t know when I can post the next time. As soon as my life calms down, I will be back.

Chapter 26

Since Elijah knew that today would be the day that everyone would be there and together again, he had hired a few days ago his usual catering service for this special dinner but without service staff. The topics of conversation were not the kind that ignorant bystanders should hear and Elijah was not in the mood to compel everyone and what was more important, his presence would be undoubtedly required elsewhere if this evening progressed as he expected.

Vincent walked into the compound as the last of the caterers left, each one of them with a satisfied grin on their faces. Vincent rolled his eyes and went to the dining room, which was except for Elijah empty, who inspected everything one last time.

Elijah looked up as Vincent entered the room. “Good evening, Vincent!”

“Good evening, Elijah!” Vincent looked around, the dining room was festively decorated and the table was well set. “Very elegant for entertaining your enemies!”

Elijah shrugged. “It's the first time in 20 years that we all met again. At least those of us who survived! There should be a proper setting for it.”

“I just hope it doesn't end the same way as most of your events”, Vincent said dryly.

“I hope so too”, agreed Elijah sincerely. “But as I said, it will not be completely peaceful.”

As if on cue, voices could be heard outside but Vincent didn't recognize any of these voices.

Elijah, on the other hand, smiled. “Most of our guests, wonderful, then I can introduce you to them right away.”

Vincent had to admit that he was looking forward to meeting these old enemies of the Originals.

Elijah recognized the voices of Alaric, Bonnie, Caroline, Jeremy, and Matt but had only heard the footsteps of five people. He wondered where Damon, Jimmy, and Desmond were and if Damon had already met Jeremy and Matt.

When the Mystic Falls Gang entered the dining room, they looked around in surprise, and even if they tried to hide it, impressed. At Elijah's prior request, all were formally dressed in contrast to previous dinners.

“Let me introduce you to Vincent Griffith, the spokesman for the Witches of New Orleans”, Elijah was the first one to break the silence.

Vincent nodded politely. “Welcome to New Orleans!”

“Alaric Saltzman and Caroline Forbes are Hope’s teachers.” Elijah looked unsure. “I don’t know if you have ever met.”

Alaric and Caroline shook their heads.

“I know your names, of course, but we have never met”, Vincent replied.

“As we have heard your name”, said Caroline and smiled politely.

“Bonnie Bennett”, Elijah continued the introduction and pointed to Bonnie.

“Are you one of the Bennett witches?” Vincent asked curiously.

Bonnie smiled. “Yes, I am.”

Vincent was impressed, he had already heard a lot about the abilities of this witch and had always wanted to meet her.

“In addition, Jeremy Gilbert and Matt Donovan”, Elijah completed his introductions. “Jeremy is a hunter of the Five and Matt is also a hunter. And more, he survived all these years in Mystic Falls and countless encounters with my siblings.” Elijah’s voice was sardonically and Matt grimaced at the memory of these encounters.

Vincent had to admit that he was surprised. He hadn't realized that the Mikaelsons had connections with such high-profile hunters and witches. “What are you doing here?”

“We wanted to see Damon again”, Jeremy replied.

“Please speak only for yourself”, Matt said dryly and Jeremy grinned.

“Matt and Damon haven’t exactly the best relationship”, explained Jeremy amused.

“I’m hurt to hear that but you're still my second favourite sheriff”, Damon said ironically, who had entered the room just in time to hear Matt's comment.

Matt rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Hello Damon.”

“Hello Matt”, Damon replied just as laconically.

The two men shook hands. There was too much old history between them, and for good reason they had never been so close that a hug was an option for them.

“Hello, Damon”, said Jeremy beaming, glad to see his brother-in-law again.

“Hello, little Gilbert.” Damon ruffled Jeremy's hair, although he had to stretch a little bit.

“I'm taller than you”, Jeremy protested with a laugh, then they hugged.

“Jeremy is the younger brother of Damon's first wife Elena”, Elijah said.

“Elena Gilbert, the last doppelganger?” Vincent asked in surprise.

Elijah inclined his head. Vincent swallowed. Why were this people looking so completely relaxed in the presence of an Original, especially Elijah? “Damon, this is Vincent Griffith. Vincent, Damon Salvatore.”

“Nice to meet you”, said Damon politely.

Vincent nodded stiffly. It was hard to believe that this serene looking man had once been a feared vampire, known for his cruelty and ruthlessness.

Damon just grinned in response to the dismissive greeting. “Elijah told me that you already met my son Desmond. May I introduce you to my friends, Jimmy Saint and Michael Fayne?”

“Uh, Damon, you know that he's a Blood?” Jeremy said hesitantly.

“Yes Jeremy I know! I am 20 years older, not senile.” Damon was amused.

Matt snorted. “One can be of a different opinion on this.”

“I missed you too, Matt.” Damon grinned at the former sheriff and now hunter.

Matt crouched in front of Desmond and held out his hand. “Hello Desmond, my name is Matt.”

“Hello, Matt”, Desmond replied shyly, taking his hand. His father had, as long as he had known him, never many friends or had been very social and now meeting so many people, who had missed his father was a little overwhelming for him. Mainly because he realized that he must have been the reason, why his father had broken off all contacts with his old friends.

Jeremy stood behind Matt and waved. “Hi, I'm Jeremy, I'm your uncle, at least, in a way.”

“Like Aunt Caroline?” Desmond asked interested.

“Near enough.” Jeremy saw a lot of Damon in Desmond. He made a bet that they also had a lot in common in terms of personality.

Next, Kol and Davina entered the dining room and Damon automatically moved so that he was between Desmond and Kol. “Hello, Kol”, he said calmly.

“Damon”, Kol replied, grinning mockingly at him.

Damon, unwilling to back down from Kol just like that, put on his old grin and Kol growled in response.

Elijah coughed meaningfully. “Kol”, he said softly, and Kol heard clearly the warning in the voice of his brother, he backed off.

Davina eased past Kol. “Hello Damon, I am delighted to meet you. I've heard a lot about you.”

Damon's grin grew friendlier and he held out his hand. “Hello Davina. I'll bet, it wasn't particularly nice things Kol said about me.”

“No, they were not”, Davina admitted. “But since I know my husband well, I can read between the lines.”

Damon laughed. “I haven’t expected anything else from Kol.”

Next, Freya, Rebekah, Josh and Marcel entered the dining room.

When Rebekah saw Matt, she squealed and ran up to him to hug him, beaming with joy. “Matt, it's so good to see you again!”

“Rebekah.” Matt smiled happily at his ex-girlfriend and returned her hug warmly.

Finally Rebekah released Matt but put an arm around his waist and Matt returned the gesture, she gave him a friendly kiss on his cheek.

Kol whistled loudly through his teeth, always happy, when he could mortify his sister. Marcel looked extremely jealous and Elijah just sighed, while Davina, Josh and Freya raised their eyebrows in surprise.

Klaus being Klaus was of course the last one to enter the dining room. “How nice, my beloved family and my dearest enemies, all gathered in one place.”

Elijah sighed again. “Now that everyone is present, find your place. The seats have been assigned and I ask that the seating arrangements be adhered to.”  
He knew better than to let everyone choose their seats. He wanted at least to eat dinner without any major arguments.

There was a bit of grumbling but nobody wanted to argue with Elijah. In addition, it turned out that Elijah had been thoughtful in his seat arrangements, nobody could seriously complain.

The conversations were relaxed, and when somebody told anecdotes about the past, the storyteller made sure they were funny. Surprisingly, there were quite a few stories to tell and the whole table laughed more than once.

Of course, Rebekah had to tell Kol about the prank she and Desmond had played on Klaus. Kol, who sat across from Desmond and Damon, whose seats were right next to Elijah, high-fived Desmond across the table, congratulated him and expressed his regret that he hadn't been there.  
He also offered to help if Desmond had any more pranks on his mind. Damon looked a little worried about this idea but there he wasn't the only one, all siblings of Kol shared equally troubled looks at this terrifying prospect.

Of course, the prank still caused some amusement, especially among those who hadn't been there and Klaus played along willingly enough. 

In short, the dinner remained peaceful and Elijah was satisfied. 

The only one who looked a bit grumpy was Marcel but Elijah suspected it had more to do with the fact, that he had placed Rebekah between Marcel and Matt. Elijah could hear Rebekah and Matt reminiscing about old times.

Eventually everyone was sated, the chairs pushed back and everyone was relaxed.

Elijah and Klaus exchanged looks and Elijah nodded in agreement.

Klaus cleared his throat. “I think it is time we share all information we learned in the last few days.” He looked at Damon. “It is your decision, whether Desmond stays here.”

Damon looked at his son, who looked at him pleadingly. He sighed. “Okay, you can stay for now, but when I tell you to go, you do it without arguing.”

“Okay, Dad”, Desmond replied happily.

Klaus and Elijah, who had a better overview, decided in which order everyone told their part of the story. 

Vincent, who knew least of all, looked increasingly worried. The more he learned, the more he hoped that all factions in New Orleans would accept Elijah’s proposal.

Finally, Klaus and Elijah came to Augustine.

“Allow me, brother, to tell the rest”, Elijah said calmly. A certain sensitivity was required here. He loved his brother, but subtlety wasn't one of Klaus' strengths. Klaus nodded in agreement.

“We found out, who is behind the Bloods and to what end they were created”, declared Elijah solemn. Everyone straightened up but especially Michael and Jimmy listened carefully. “They call themselves the Augustine Society.”

The Mystic Falls Gang, except Bonnie and Alaric of course, looked shocked at Damon, who grimaced. “It is true”, he said softly, what caused quite a stir among them.

Elijah explained the suspicions they had about the creation of the Bloods, the reasons and the goals Augustine had with the Bloods. He mentioned that they had most of this knowledge from Damon but with a look at Desmond avoided mentioning why Damon knew so much about Augustine.

Klaus saw that Marcel and Vincent would have liked to ask more but they too had noticed the looks that kept falling on Desmond. For the time being they refrained from asking for more detailed explanations.

Finally, Freya and Bonnie shared what had happened during their spell. Damon clenched his fists when he learned that Enzo’s blood was the source of the Bloods.

“Now you know everything we know”, said Elijah in conclusion. “There will undoubtedly be further findings and we will pass these on to you too.”

There was silence at the table as everyone pondered what they'd heard and what the consequences might be.

“We have to do something”, said Alaric firmly. “Who knows what those idiots will do next?”

“Klaus and I have already set our sources on Augustine”, Elijah said calmly. “Kol, Rebekah, we would like to ask you to do the same. Your contacts were always a bit of the unusual kind, which could be very useful for us.”

“I already know who I will ask”, Kol replied calmly, and Rebekah nodded in agreement.

Elijah now looked at each of the Mystic Falls Gang in turn. “We had our differences, but we also worked together when it was appropriate. I think it is now again necessary.”

“I think there are a few things that we need to discuss first”, Bonnie said calmly.

“That's your cue, Desmond”, said Damon, getting up. “Come on, I'll put you in bed.”

Desmond stood up without protest.

Damon looked at Elijah. “Wait for me, I don't want to miss anything!”

“Don’t worry! We're going to the library, Freya has already prepared everything”, Elijah replied. “A little warning to those who were not involved in what happened, it could get a little uncomfortable at times if tempers flare up. If you want, you can join us.” Elijah smiled.

“Fantastic”, Michael muttered, but he was too curious. Freya, Jimmy, Vincent, Josh and Marcel also decided not to miss it.

In the library everyone got a drink before moving to a seat.

Damon came through the door after a few minutes and closed it behind him. “Let the fun begin”, he said, grinning mockingly.

Elijah sighed.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish everyone happy holidays. Stay safe and healthy!
> 
> If this is my last update for this year, I wish everyone a happy new year! May the next year be better than this one!

At first everyone was quiet, nobody really wanted to start the inevitable confrontation.

Eventually Kol rolled his eyes, like Klaus he wasn't known for his patience or restraint. “I'm still angry that Jeremy and Elena killed me because they wanted the cure for Elena.” Kol sneered. “Oh yes, and because they really wanted to free Silas. How did that work out for you?”

“You were a danger to me. You compelled Damon to kill me, remember?” Jeremy replied equally annoyed. “It was only because of Damon's willpower that he could withstand your compulsion long enough to give me a chance to escape.”

“Oh, that might have been your reason but it wasn't definitely not your bitch of a sister’s reason. She wanted the cure that was the only thing that interested her. Have you ever thought about the thousands of vampires who died with me? Some may have by your standards deserved to die, but there were hundreds who just wanted to exist in peace.”  
Kol was angry. Before Finn was killed, nobody had known what would happen to the vampires of his line if an Original was killed. They no longer had this excuse with him. More than that, it was the main reason because it was the only way for Elena to make the tattoo, the map to the cure, complete.

Jeremy gritted his teeth before reluctantly admitting. “At this time I haven't thought about it, okay? I was afraid! Today I wouldn't take part in it anymore.”

“Jeremy was barely 18 years old, a child”, Damon said calmly. And he was massively emotionally manipulated by Elena, he didn't add. Damon had loved Elena, but after all these years living without her, he was able to acknowledge her mistakes and see how much she had occasionally manipulated those around her.

“Which is the reason why I only wanted revenge on Elena and not Jeremy while I was dead”, Kol reluctantly admitted.

As if that had broken a dam, the quarrelling began.

Vincent watched in disbelief as Klaus and Alaric stood facing and yelling at each other. He never thought that anyone was crazy enough to dare to do this and what was more amazing, to survive. What surprised him was that Elijah was just watching and didn't seem to have the intention to intervene on Alaric's behalf.

“You took over my body not to mention that you murdered my girlfriend for your ritual.” Alaric gave the impression that he would like to give Klaus a punch.

“She was my aunt and besides Elena my last living relative”, added Jeremy bitterly.

“I needed a vampire for the ritual after Damon freed Caroline and Tyler.” Klaus shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

“What I now deeply regret, when I think of your annoying flirting we had to endure the last few days”, said Damon dryly. Caroline, who sat beside him, poked him roughly in the ribs. Damon rubbed the spot and just grinned, but he had managed to derail Klaus from provoking Alaric further with the death of Jenna.

“You got your revenge, after all, you almost managed to kill me.” Klaus smirked. “Although it is questionable whether you would have managed it if you had remained human.”

Alaric grimaced when he thought of it. “Don't remind me. By the way, what happened to your mother?”

“Maybe it comforts you to know that I turned her into a vampire.” Klaus grinned maliciously. “She became what she loathed and what she wanted to kill us for. And I was nicer to her as she to us. I gave her a choice, something she never gave to us.”

Alaric scoffed but didn't give the impression that he was unhappy with what he heard.

Elijah had meanwhile watched with amusement the faces of the bystanders, who had never before witnessed, what happened if the Originals and the Mystic Falls Gang really got going.

Jimmy and Michael, who least of all knew about what had happened between the groups, looked more incredulous than scared.

Freya and Davina, who had heard enough stories from siblings and respectively husband, listened with fascination and gave the impression that they were having a great time.

Vincent, Marcel and Josh, who had often enough been at the wrong end of especially Klaus ‘outbursts of temperament, were deeply horrified and seemed to be expecting bloodshed at any second.

At the moment, Damon, Rebekah and Kol were arguing over various incidents such as seductions, torture, attempted murder, throwing down from balconies and broken necks. Of course, Klaus couldn't help to involve himself in the argument.

Marcel watched as the three Mikaelson siblings ganged up on Damon, which didn't bother him the slightest and who gave as good as he got. He didn't seem the least bit scared and Marcel didn't get the impression that it was just because that he was relying on Elijah to protect him.  
And again he noticed that the Mikaelson siblings seemed to have a sincere respect for Damon as an opponent.

Marcel also noticed that until now none of the Mystic Falls Gang had confronted Elijah for something he did do to them. He decided to draw the general attention to him. “What did Elijah do to you?”

Davina narrowed her eyes, but before she could address Marcel, Bonnie answered. “Well, he broke his word. When he finally got the chance to kill Klaus, he saved him instead.”

In response to the numerous astonished looks, Elijah explained. “Until then, I had believed that Niklaus had sunk my siblings to the bottom of the sea and he was supposed to die for that. It wasn't until he admitted that he lied to me about it and he promised me to take me to them that I gave up my revenge. Of course, he broke his promise and showed his gratitude by daggering me again.”

Elijah eyed Klaus coolly, who looked slightly uncomfortable.

“And he rammed a pencil in my neck”, added Damon.

Elijah shrugged. “You were disrespectful, and afterwards I gave you a handkerchief to press it on the wound.”

“You tried to kill Elena”, Damon accused him, but he looked more amused than angry now. He knew very well that Elijah had liked Elena.

Elijah snorted. “But only after you and Alaric daggered me, even though I warned you about what would happen if you attacked me.”

“You blackmailed Stefan and Damon into turning my mother into a vampire”, now Bonnie interfered again.

Elijah looked at the floor. “Esther connected the lives from my siblings and me with each other. Finn was determined to die and take us with him. I kidnapped Elena and demanded that Stefan and Damon do everything possible to prevent this.” He looked at Bonnie. “It's my family! I did what I had to protect them. You, all of you, would have done the same and you have done so more than once yourself.” His face turned stony. “Which is the only reason why I let Matt, Jeremy and Elena live after they killed Kol und Finn.”

Bonnie sighed. “Yes I know.” 

Bonnie no longer wanted to dwell on the past. The only thing that now mattered to her was the present and a future without the threat of the Bloods.

“Regardless, I regret what happened to your mother”, Elijah said gently.

Bonnie smiled. “She is fine and happy, we talk often. Today I think, better to life as a vampire than being dead but I have to admit, back then I thought differently about this.” She looked at Damon. “I guess I never told you that I forgave you for this, did I?”

Damon swallowed and shook his head.

After that, everyone concentrated back on Klaus, Kol and Rebekah and their actions. Compared to them, Elijah had never been unnecessary cruel or malicious to them.

Marcel had to admit that he was disappointed about the scant results to his question.

*****

They all looked exhausted after almost 4 hours of non-stop arguing and accusing each other, who had done what to whom.

All those who were not involved, had long since withdrawn into a corner because they did not want to be drawn further into the shenanigans.

It had mostly been Elijah who played the referee, but Damon had also intervened a few times when things got too lively.

However, apart from occasional fisticuffs, the arguments were remarkably bloodless and without serious injuries.

When it was foreseeable that the worst was over, Elijah took off his jacket, which he had already unbuttoned beforehand, laid it over the arm of his favourite armchair and went to the bar with his glass. “I need a drink.”

Whether the others took it as a temporary ceasefire or had come to the same view as Elijah, that it was finally over, they followed Elijah to the bar and provided themselves with drinks.

Now everyone was sitting and had made themselves comfortable as they quietly drank the alcoholic drink of their choice.

“Anyone else has a complaint they would like to get rid of?” Elijah finally asked dryly, which earned him some angry looks.

“No, I think we're done”, Alaric replied laconically.

“Well, I'm not quite finished yet”, objected Klaus.

“Niklaus”, said Elijah warningly.

“Oh, calm down, brother, I only have one question that I've always wanted an answer to”, said Klaus with an innocent expression.

Elijah eyed his brother suspiciously, not trusting this face one second. “Then ask it!”

“I always wanted to know, who of our guests likes which Original best.” Klaus grinned wolfishly.

“Well, I can tell you right now that no one will say your name except maybe Caroline”, Elijah replied with an unmoved expression.

Klaus glared at Elijah when everyone present had a great time at his expense. “Then what harm does it do to answer my question.”

Elijah shook his head and sighed. “Why not? If someone wants to answer your question, let them do it.”

Matt shrugged and said, “I will go first, my favourite Original is Rebekah.”

Rebekah, who was sitting on a sofa between Marcel and Matt, kissed him on the cheek. “That's so nice of you!”

Marcel was seething with jealousy again. He didn't like that Rebekah and Matt were still so close.

“And so completely surprising”, Kol made fun of his sister.

Rebekah hurled the glass, she had just emptied, at Kol’s head but Kol deftly caught it. “Make yourself useful and bring me another drink!”

Kol stood up with a grin and granted his sister's wish. “Davina, who is your favourite Original?” he asked his wife, knowing her answer to his question.

“You of course, Kol”, answered Davina with a smile.

“That doesn't count”, Klaus complained, “she's your wife after all.”

“Fair enough”, Davina replied with a shrug. “Okay, I'll take Elijah then.” Marcel growled involuntarily. Davina smiled sweetly at Marcel. “Do you want to say anything, Marcel?”

“No, just that my favourite Original is Rebekah”, replied Marcel reluctantly.

Now complained Kol. “If Davina can't choose me than Marcel can't choose Rebekah either.”

Elijah sighed. You could always trust Klaus to cause trouble even with a seemingly harmless question.

“Well, then I'll take Klaus”, replied Marcel even more reluctantly.

Klaus smirked. “Caroline?”

Caroline smiled slightly. “I should say Rebekah, but I'm not like that so I choose you.”

“Elijah”, Alaric replied curtly.

Jeremy shrugged. “I also take Elijah.”

“Elijah”, said Damon with a grin, who thoroughly enjoyed this game initiated by Klaus.

“Freya.” Josh chose the safest answer and everyone booed at him.

“I'll take Elijah too”, said Bonnie, amused. “But why can Caroline chose Klaus, she should choose someone else too.” Caroline stuck out her tongue.

“Elijah”, said Michael and Jimmy in unison, before looking at each other suspiciously.

“Freya”, said Vincent, knowing full well that he couldn't avoid an answer.

“Well, it looks like Elijah is the undisputed winner”, said Klaus amused.

“I just don't understand, why”, Marcel mumbled quietly to himself.

“Quite simply, he's the only one of the Originals who never tried to kill us for fun or out of pleasure”, replied Alaric.

“He's relaxed and not prone to rash actions like someone else I could name”, Bonnie added, giving Klaus a meaningful look who merely grinned.

“He had a calming influence on everyone”, added Jeremy. “And he was always kind to us, even when he was our enemy.”

Vincent frowned in confusion. Not that these descriptions were wrong, but they were incomplete and completely ignored how downright dangerous Elijah could get.

Elijah noticed Vincent's confusion. “Don't forget that they were very young when we first met. They had been through some bad things and I acted, at least partially, predictably for them. They knew, where they stood with me and what reactions to expect from me.”

Damon snorted. “With the exception of Elijah, Alaric was the only adult, who reacted reliable, knew about everything and with whom they could talk, when they needed someone.”

“Exactly, at least until that bitch Esther played with my mind and made me a monster”, Alaric added bitterly.

Damon put his hand on Alaric’s shoulder. “She paid for it!”

“And that more than once”, added Elijah, he sounded as bitter as Alaric.

“What do you mean, she made you into a monster?” Vincent asked curiously. He'd never realized how much he didn't know about the past of the Originals.

“Esther turned him into an enhanced Original”, Elijah replied. 

“Right, he even managed to kill me”, added Klaus. He grinned mockingly at Marcel. “Which is more, than you ever could.”

Marcel growled. In the course of the evening he had several times become the victim of sharp remarks from Klaus and Kol, which told him clearly that they would no longer tolerate his behaviour towards Elijah.  
And every time he tried to respond in kind, either Rebekah or Davina had looked at him meaningfully and he had stopped himself. They had both given him to understand, that right now he was on very thin ice with them.

“That's right, he also put me out of action and at this time he was just a normal human”, Elijah added. “Alaric was a formidable enemy.”

“And what was I?” Damon asked, seemingly offended.

“You were an unbelievable annoyance”, replied Klaus quick-witted.

Damon snorted contemptuously.

“How about another question?” suggested Klaus, and Elijah groaned, but he no longer bothered to prevent Klaus from asking his questions.

“Who do you think is the most dangerous person in this room? And to keep it fair, we're all going to answer that question.” Klaus grinned expectantly, already curious at the answers.

“Define dangerous”, Damon asked suspiciously.

“Who would you least want to mess with if push comes to shove”, Klaus replied. “Everyone has fifteen minutes to think about their answer.”

“Do we have to give a reason?” Bonnie asked thoughtfully.

“Only, if you want to do it.” Klaus shrugged his shoulders.

And it was clear from Klaus ‘and Marcel’s grins that they expected to win the poll.

Josh watched Elijah rub his forehead. But he had to admit that he, too, was curious about the answers of the others. And it was clear that everyone was thinking thorough about their answer.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, but work is still insane and I also had a bit of a writerblock with this chapter.
> 
> It's funny, but this scene with the answers to Klaus’s question was the first one that I pictured in my mind for this story. 80,000 words later and I finally can it put down on paper. What's wrong with me? *lol

Elijah had one thing to give to Klaus, his question and answer game had ensured that everyone had outwardly relaxed. The hostile atmosphere that had reigned in the room was almost completely gone. His brother hadn't unlearned his ability to manipulate everyone around him.

However, Elijah wondered uncomfortably, what other angles Niklaus pursued with this question game. Although he had to admit that he too looked forward to the answers, he had the weird feeling that the answers wouldn’t turn out as Marcel or Niklaus expected, both of whom already believing themselves the sure winners.

During the break everyone had supplied themselves again with drinks and made themselves even more comfortable, which also contributed to the general relaxed mood.

Klaus rubbed his hands. “So, who starts?”

“I think, out of terms of fairness we, the Originals, should start this time.” Elijah smirked at his brother. “And because you were the one who came up with this idea, you too will be the first to answer your own question. I also consider it fair that we don't choose one of us.”

“Ok, I'll take Alaric then.” Klaus enjoyed the reactions to his answer.

“Alaric?” Marcel asked incredulously and rather offended that Klaus classified this human as more dangerous than him.

“As I said, he almost killed me and he has proven enough times that while he may be human, he is always good for a surprise. If I trust anyone to find a way to kill me when it matters, it's Alaric.”

“Ok, now I’m stunned!” said Alaric slowly, who would never have expected this answer.

“I'll choose Bonnie”, Elijah said calmly and smiled at her. “She has proven more than once that her power is great enough to stop even us.”

Bonnie blushed. To be chosen like this by Elijah was a compliment in itself.

Kol frowned. “I will choose Bonnie too.” He kissed Davina on the cheek. “Not that I think you are less powerful than her, but after all, it's about choosing someone I don't want to fight for my life and I can't imagine any situation where I want to kill you.”

Davina put her head on Kol’s shoulder. “Neither do I!”

“Difficult decision, but I think I'll take Bonnie too”, said Rebekah thoughtfully.

Marcel had to admit that he was surprised. He had classified the quiet woman as harmless. The fact that three of the Originals picked her as someone they didn’t want to fight, gave him pause and made it necessary to reconsider his first impression of her.

“Yes, I have to admit, Bonnie is a close second for me too”, said Klaus, amused with Marcel’s indignant and disappointed face.

Freya smiled inwardly. She didn’t think that Klaus had lied but he certainly enjoyed it to rile Marcel up and make him pay for the way he treated Elijah. “I think I will choose Vincent. After all, it was him, who created the serum for Lucien.”

“He did? How interesting”, said Bonnie and eyed Vincent thoughtful. 

Vincent shuddered involuntarily, for a moment there was something in the Bennett witch's eyes that alarmed him. In order to divert attention from himself, he brought the conversation back to Klaus’ question. “I think I'll take you too, Freya.” 

He certainly wouldn't take Elijah or Klaus, which would only flatter them. And he wouldn't name Marcel for the same reason.

“I can't speak from great experience, of course, but after I've seen Elijah fight I'll take him”, Michael said a little shyly.

“Oh, I totally agree”, said Jimmy fervently.

Damon snickered. “I've tangled with every Original on one occasion or another and even I find Elijah the most terrifying, despite him being my favourite.” He looked at Klaus. “Sorry, but if Elijah has decided that you have to die, you are dead. He knows no hesitation and he doesn't play games.”

Klaus shrugged, he had never expected from Damon to choose him. Elijah and Damon had started a real mutual fan club in the last few days.

“Sorry, Klaus, but I have to take Elijah too”, said Caroline softly. “I know, you would never harm me.” She looked at Rebekah. “Not that I consider you as less dangerous but you let your emotions lead you, Elijah’s actions are always calculating and deliberate. Like Damon said, if Elijah wants you dead...” Caroline shrugged.

Klaus frowned. In one way he was glad that Caroline wasn't afraid of him, but he really would have thought she'd name Rebekah. Especially when he remembered, how bitchy Rebekah had always been to Caroline.

Elijah had to admit he was surprised. He had never had much contact with Caroline. That she thought this way about him was unexpected. He wasn't Klaus, he didn't want people to fear him, the only thing he wanted, was respect.

Josh was surprised too. His impression in the last few days had always been that the Mystic Falls Gang liked and trusted Elijah the most of all the Originals. He had until now thought that they were blind for Elijah’s existing savagery and ruthlessness but they weren’t.   
He was hard pressed to choose between Klaus or Elijah but if he did take all in account he knew about these two, he too could give only one answer. “For me it is Elijah too.” Then he looked at Klaus. “Sorry, sir.”

Klaus scowled a little but didn’t say anything.

Jeremy and Matt exchanged glances before saying unanimously. “We also take Elijah.”

“Jeremy, now I'm offended. I thought you would take me.” Kol visibly pouted.

“Sorry, the question wasn’t for the most murderous individual”, Jeremy replied dryly. “Although then I would have to take Klaus.”

“Finally someone, who takes me seriously”, said Klaus satisfied.

“We all take you seriously”, said Damon grinning, “But we like annoying you much more.”

“And every one of us thinks twice about it before we annoy Elijah too much.” Alaric smirked too.

Klaus mumbled something that even his siblings couldn’t understand. 

Davina had devoted some thought to the question, but now she had found her answer. “I have to admit, I vacillate between Klaus and Freya, but in this case I choose Klaus.” She smiled at Freya. “After all, you and Elijah share many character traits and you're not quite as ruthless as Klaus.”

“What, you don’t take Elijah?” asked Marcel mockingly.

Davina narrowed her eyes. “As long as I don't threaten his family, I don't fear Elijah.” Then she smirked in a way which reminisced everyone of Klaus. “But you I will certainly never fear!”

Now all Originals chuckled and Marcel remembered the one thing, which you should never forget about the Originals. If you messed with one of them, you had each of them against you and that had been especially true in the past years, if it came to Elijah. Every sibling had been very protective of him since the death of Hayley.

Alaric was standing next to the bar, leaning against one of the pillars and Damon stood beside him, also leaning against the pillar. “Yes, Elijah is a very scary dude with nice hair.” He grinned at Elijah, who only rolled his eyes. Alaric looked at Klaus and said mockingly. “And I too find him much more frightening than you.”

Klaus glowered. Typical Alaric, it was just impossible for him to say anything positive about Klaus or more precisely in this case, something that Klaus would consider as flattering.

Marcel decided to ignore the opinions of the Mystic Falls visitors. Neither of them had ever had much to do with him, it was no wonder they hadn't considered him. Only that everyone from them had taken Elijah annoyed him considerably. 

“I'll take Freya, her witch skills is the only thing that could get dangerous to me.” He grinned condescendingly at all the Originals, who were vampires. “After all, one bite from me and you are all dead, and this time Freya will not be able to save you.” And Marcel fixated especially Elijah during these words.

It was sheer coincidence that Elijah was looking at Damon in this moment and the last time he had seen a similar look on his face was at the memorable ball, where Damon had challenged the entire Original family.

Elijah got up and also went to the bar, his instinct told him that the situation could escalate any moment.

“Wow, you know, Klaus, I always thought you were the biggest asshole I would ever meet, but now I think it's Marcel.” Damon smiled that languidly impertinent grin that all Originals and his friends knew only too well. “I mean, you at least have sophistication and a certain charm but I find, Marcel just lacks personality. Not to mention the fact that he will never have Elijah’s style and format.”

And Marcel’s control, which had been strained more and more throughout the evening, snapped. He pounced on Damon but Elijah was faster and positioned himself between Marcel and Damon. Before Marcel could reach Damon, Elijah pushed him so hard against his chest that Marcel was thrown back.

“He is our guest, you will not harm him.” Elijah’s voice was serious and there was a definite threat in his words.

Faster than most could follow, Marcel stood back in front of Elijah and hit him so brutal in the face that it flung Elijah to the ground, then Marcel concentrated his aggression once again on Damon.

The other Originals had long since arisen but before they could intervene, the atmosphere in the room changed in a way that reminded Freya of Ava's interrogation.

Kol noticed the change and was the only one other than Freya, who knew, who caused it. He whirled around to Bonnie, his face going pale and he pushed Davina behind him. “No matter what happens, don't do anything!”

His voice was urgent in a way Davina rarely heard and she had learned to listen and to do what Kol wanted in those cases.

“You will not touch him!” Bonnie said in an echoing voice.

Before Marcel could understand what happened, an invisible force grabbed him and threw him against the nearest wall before pushing him up the wall so that his feet dangled a meter above the ground.

Alaric and Damon didn't even bat an eyelid at this sight and completely ignored Marcel as they rushed to Elijah's aid. They helped him up and Elijah accepted their support, although he didn't need it.

“Are you alright?” Damon asked worried.

Klaus stood next to his brother too and put his hand on his nape. “Brother, did he hurt you?”

“I'm fine, Niklaus.” Elijah smiled slightly. “It was just a slap to the face.”

Elijah then went to Bonnie and put a hand on her forearm, to press her arm gently to the ground. She allowed it but it didn’t change anything about Marcel’s position in the air. “You can put him down, Bonnie.”

Bonnie eyed Elijah blankly before looking back at Marcel, who tried in vain to move a muscle but he was helpless against Bonnie's power.

“Everything is fine”, Elijah reassured her. “Marcel will think twice now before attempting to attack Damon again.”

“Yes, but it would be better for him if he didn’t touch you a second time either.” Bonnie went slowly to Marcel, who glared angry down at her. “I think you need a little time-out, Marcel.” Bonnie twisted her hand and snapped Marcel’s neck. Then whatever Marcel was holding in the air vanished and he crashed to the ground.

It was dead silence as everyone present, who had never witnessed Bonnie wielding her power, stared at her, shocked at the ease with which she had overpowered Marcel.

Klaus grinned proudly. “And that is the reason, why we Originals all chose Bonnie.”

Freya smirked grimly. “I liked that.” Marcel had hurt her little brother one time too often.

Vincent couldn’t say a word. Despite what he'd heard about the Bennett Witches, this display of power had come as a complete surprise to him.

“If he wakes up he will be pretty mad at you”, Davina said softly.

Bonnie shrugged. “Who cares?” She smiled coldly as she heard Marcel groaning. “It's not like he has much time left.”

Marcel startled back to life and looked up. By now everyone was standing around him and none of them looked particularly friendly. Bonnie’s eyes were cold and the malicious gleam in Klaus ‘eyes promised retaliation for the attack on Damon and Elijah. After all, Klaus had warned him beforehand that Damon was under his protection.

“Now, please be a brave vampire and go back to your prior place. Should you dare to stand up without my permission or attack anyone again, I will kill you and believe me, I can and I will do it.” Bonnie’s smile was at once gentle and chilling.

The menace in Bonnie’s voice chilled Marcel to the bone and he believed every word she said. Yes, he should definitive reconsider his initial assessment about her harmlessness. He stood slowly up and went back to the sofa.

Everyone else sat down too, but the previous good mood was spoiled.

Klaus thought about Bonnie’s former remark and frowned. “Bonnie, what did you mean, when you said that Marcel didn't have much time left?”

Bonnie sighed before she looked at Rebekah and this time there was a hint of compassion in her eyes. “I'm sorry, Rebekah, but Marcel Gerard is dying. I give him a couple of weeks at most.”

Rebekah stared at Bonnie in disbelief. “I beg your pardon?” She asked in shock. This shock was shared by everyone present.

“The werewolf poison in him will kill him slowly and painfully, but before it kills him, he will go mad. It has already started, his incessant attacks against Elijah are a first symptom of his degeneration and it will only get worse”, explained Bonnie. “In the final stage he will attack everyone, and no longer will know or spare even family, friends or wife.”

Rebekah did take Marcel’s hand, her previous anger forgotten and Marcel returned the hand pressure. For the moment he was shocked speechless from this announcement. 

“But how is that possible? He's the beast from prophecy, the poison can't harm him”, asked Rebekah for Marcel.

Bonnie shrugged. “He may be the beast but he isn’t immune to the poison anymore, and I think, the ancestors did it on purpose.” She sighed. “Call it a safeguard, a limit to his existence.” 

“It's like the limitation that Esther has placed on me”, Alaric said comprehensively.

“Yes, exactly. You assignment was to kill the Originals and you would only live as long as Elena lived. With Lucien the ancestors choose a time limit.” Bonnie looked at Elijah and then at Vincent.

“It has been a little more than 20 years since I killed Marcel”, said Elijah quietly and Vincent frowned.

“I can’t remember creating a time limit or a safeguard”, said Vincent troubled.

Freya went to Vincent and hugged him. “If I remember how confused you were back then, I’m not surprised about that.”

“The ancestors, who made Lucien what he was, had only one goal, the death of all Originals and, if possible, the annihilation of all vampires. Twenty years is enough time to at least kill all of the Originals.” Bonnie smiled grimly. “The rest of the vampires is a bonus.”

“It sounds like them”, said Klaus slowly and Davina nodded. Their hate on the ancestors was a commonality they shared.

“You said Lucien's name”, said Elijah thoughtfully.

“It could have been Aurora or Marcel too, it really doesn't matter at all.” Bonnie shrugged again. “No matter who would have gotten the serum, everyone would have to endure the same restrictions and the same effects.”

“So, no matter who would have taken the serum, everything would have happened the same way”, said Elijah softly.

“Oh please, of course it would. What reason would witches have to make a vampire all but invincible?” Damon snorted contemptuously. “None! Witches, the servants of nature, my ass. The only thing they ever cared about was power. Do you know why most witches hate the Originals so much? You are so damn hard to manipulate and they know full well that they will never be able to control you, which bothers them the most.”

“Which was probably the reason that the witches of Mystic Falls always hated you more than Stefan”, said Klaus dryly.

Bonnie glared at him. “There were certainly other reasons as well.”

Now it was Elijah who snorted contemptuously. “As far as I know, Damon made an oath to protect the Bennett witches, and he kept that oath until your ancestor broke her promise to him. Only after that did he attack you.” Elijah shrugged. “Honestly, I would have done the same thing.”

Bonnie opened her mouth than closed it again. She knew, Elijah spoke the truth about his reaction, if her ancestor had broken her word to him. 

“Yes, Stefan was the favourite of the witches of Mystic Falls because he was easier to manipulate and so they didn't care that he was in many ways worse than Damon.” Elijah looked now at Damon.

“I wouldn’t say worse”, Damon said hesitantly.

Klaus looked at Damon. “Tell me, all in all, which of you has killed more people?”

Damon hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly admitted. “Stefan has killed twice, maybe three times as many people over the centuries as I have.”

Caroline gasped for breath, and Bonnie looked at him in dismay.

“I beg your pardon?” Caroline breathed, shaken.

Damon looked very uncomfortable now. “Stefan may not have killed, as long as he was abstinent but when he was on human blood, he murdered at least once every night, usually even more often. For him it was never about the blood, it was about the killing. His attempts to put his victims back together, they weren't an attempt to undo his crimes nor a sign for regretting his actions.”   
Damon looked at Caroline. “It was his sign, his identification mark as serial killer! I've seen his lists, my considerable body count doesn't even come close to his. I drank blood, yes, I killed, yes, but as long as I didn't flip my switch, half of my victims usually got away with their lives. Stefan had never let even one of his victims escape!”

“Enough of this useless arguing, let’s come back to the matter at hand”, Elijah said calmly, and then looked at Bonnie. “Is there a way to save Marcel?”

Kol snorted, not really surprised about Elijah’s question, while Davina, Rebekah and Klaus looked hopeful.

Bonnie looked thoughtful. “Perhaps!” She squinted at Marcel. “Would you be willing to give up your enhancements?”

“Wouldn't it be possible just to withdraw the poison from me? Marcel asked hesitantly.

“No, in this case it's all or nothing”, Bonnie said adamantly.

“It looks, like this time you really have to choose, what is more important to you”, said Rebekah in a brittle voice. “The first time, you didn't tell us you were still alive, because you wanted to rule over New Orleans. The second time you had the choice to come with me and again you preferred your power. I won't tolerate it a third time!”

“And of course I won’t allow that you harm anyone in the time you have left.” Bonnie looked just as uncompromising as Rebekah.

“You will die alone”, said Rebekah her last word in this matter. 

Marcel looked at her in dismay. “And what is about your wish to become human?”

“This decision is still at least thirty or forty years in the future. We talk about the present”, replied Rebekah calmly.

In the meantime, Elijah had got up from his seat to stand behind Rebekah, and now put a hand on her shoulder. Rebekah leaned back against her brother and she put her hand above his.

Everyone was silent and waited for Marcel to make his choice. Finally he sighed. “Okay, I prefer a life with Rebekah!” He looked at Klaus. “However, I am a little unsure, how long I will stay alive.”

“There will be no acts of revenge against you”, Elijah said calmly and gave above all Klaus a penetrating look. “Do you agree with me, Brother?”

Klaus sighed theatrically. “It will be difficult for me, but I agree.” He looked at Marcel. "I promise you that you will be completely safe from me."

Elijah relaxed, he knew that Niklaus may break his word but never his promises. Besides, he still saw Marcel as his son, he didn't want his death.

“Now the only question left is, whether we can develop a cure in the time that Marcel has left”, Davina said worried.

“Oh, as luck will have it, there is a spell that can cure Marcel.” Klaus grinned wickedly. “We only need two powerful witches to perform this spell.”

“How surprising”, said Marcel, staring at Klaus with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, what an unbelievable and happy coincidence”, Davina said ironically and Klaus grinned at her in his inimitable way that made it clear that nothing about it was a coincidence.

“What can I say, I like to be prepared”, answered Klaus.

“Please, Niklaus, shut your mouth”, said Elijah tiredly. He looked at Marcel. “If Bonnie and Freya agree, we will do the spell tomorrow after the negotiations with the factions. Can you until then control your urge to kill me?”

“Don’t worry, Elijah”, said Bonnie. “I will confine Marcel to his room. He won't have a chance to kill any of you.” She grinned at Klaus. “Though, if it concerns you, I might turn a blind eye.”

“Thank you, Bonnie”, answered Klaus mockingly. “I appreciate your sentiment in the way it is meant.”

Elijah sighed in resignation. “Let's go to our rooms, we can discuss everything else tomorrow after the negotiations.”

That was the end of the evening, everyone was tired and tomorrow would be another long day. Even Vincent would tonight sleep in the compound, where he had a room, even if he rarely used it.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small update and I think this story is slowly coming to an end, perhaps one or two chapters. On the positive side, work has calmed down a little and I got my first vaccination.
> 
> And as always, I am happy about every comment.

As usual, Elijah was the first to get up in the morning and come downstairs. He went into the courtyard where the negotiations were to take place. He and Klaus had decided that they did not want any visitors near their private rooms. Elijah also suspected that her visitors didn't want to go too far into the compound either.

Elijah started fetching the chairs from the dining room. The table in the courtyard was big enough for the leaders of the factions, him and Klaus, Marcel, Bonnie and Alaric.  
It had been agreed that all visitors from Mystic Falls, Damon and his new friends should take part in the negotiations.

All others who did not have a direct seat at the negotiating table had to move their chairs behind their respective leader so that they could hear everything and say something if they wanted.

Elijah smiled faintly. Of course it was unlikely that the adjutants of the other factions would say something, but Elijah could not imagine that at least Damon would be silent the whole time.

“Elijah, have you ever thought about taking a break now and then?” Elijah heard a voice behind him. He spun around and saw Bonnie standing behind him.

“The factions will come at 10 a.m., by then everything should be prepared”, he replied calmly.

“Your siblings should help you with that”, said Bonnie, and began helping Elijah with the chairs.

Elijah sighed. “My siblings prefer to sleep in. I am the only early riser.”

“The day never has enough hours for you, does it?” Bonnie's voice was oddly compassionate.

“That's how it sometimes feels, yes. Is everything okay with Marcel?”

“He is in a room and cannot leave it without my permission.” Bonnie hesitated. “Why do you care about his welfare? I didn't get the impression that you were friends.”

“We aren’t”, Elijah agreed without answering Bonnie’s question. “Has everything been prepared for the ritual?”

“Yes, Freya showed me the spell earlier, she is now preparing the room, it's an easy spell for us both.” Bonnie looked around. “As soon as the negotiations are over, we can begin.”

“How stable is Marcel? Can he be present through the negotiations?”

“Why?” Bonnie asked curiously.

“It would be good if he were there. The tension between him, Klaus and me is well known. Having him there would be a sign that this danger affects us all and that we are on the same side.”

“Is there anything that you don't approach strategically?” Bonnie asked, half amused and half sad.

“I can't help it”, Elijah replied calmly. “I am the guardian of my family, I have to watch out for threats before they become a danger to them.”

“You really should take a vacation”, Bonnie suggested.

Elijah gave a fleeting smile. “Who knows, when this crisis is over, I might get around to it.”

“First, we both know your family's crises never stop”, Bonnie said gravely. “Second, New Orleans is only the first step, this war is far from over. Sometimes you just have to take the time, like I did after Enzo’s death.”

“I'll think about your words, Bonnie. My thanks for your advice!”

The vampire and the witch finished the preparations in silence. As soon as they were done, Klaus and Kol also entered the courtyard.

“As always you two only come when most of the preparation is done. Help me to put drinks and glasses on the table”, Elijah ordered sharply.

Kol and Klaus stop abruptly, briefly exchanged glances, and then shrugged their shoulders. Apparently Elijah's mood hadn't improved, it was better not to argue with him. They complied with his request.

Little by little the others came down too.

“Rebekah, do you want to get Marcel?” Elijah asked softly.

“Yes, that should be best. Davina, would you like to come with me?”

“That is a good idea. We can then talk extensively to Marcel.” The witch and the Original smiled grimly at each other.

“Should we feel sorry for Marcel?” Klaus asked somewhat gleefully.

“My sympathy for him is limited”, Damon said laconically.

Klaus and Elijah exchanged amused looks, apparently Damon still knew how to hold grudges.

Marcel and the two women came into the courtyard shortly before 10 a.m., and he made a suitable cowed impression as Elijah noted with satisfaction.

Exactly at 10 a.m., the leaders of the factions and two adjutants each entered the courtyard.

Vincent had already left the compound at 8 a.m. to find out the result of the vote and to discuss it with his deputies. He had also told them what had happened between Bonnie and Marcel. He didn't have to tell them that none of them could have done something like this.

Elijah politely greeted his guests. As always, he would speak for his family when it came to peaceful negotiations. This time he hadn't given a seating arrangement, but he and Niklaus took their usual positions at the head ends of the table.

After a few minutes of moving chairs, everyone was finally seated.

Elijah let his gaze wander over the faces at the table. “I would like to introduce everyone to each other.”

Elijah first named all of the residents of New Orleans, although the aides got a little uncomfortable when they found out that Elijah knew their names too. Then he introduced the visitors from Mystic Falls.

At the introduction of Damon, the witches gave each other uncomfortable looks and when asked by the other two factions, why, they briefly explained who Damon was. And of course everyone recognized Damon from the television. Which also caused quite a stir was the fact that a Blood was present for the negotiations.

“Now allow me, to first get everyone on the same page.” Elijah reported the knowledge that had been gained the evening before. “If you want, Vincent can confirm my words for you.”

Declan and Davla looked at Vincent, who only nodded. Everyone leaned back in their chairs, their faces looking startled about the news.

“Can you now tell me what the factions have decided”, brought Elijah everyone back to the real topic.

Dayla was the first to answer. “The werewolves agree to the contract. The threat posed by the Bloods surpasses anything New Orleans has ever seen. We have to stand together.” She glanced at Klaus. “And no matter what the Originals have done over the years, New Orleans is their home, which they have protected with everything, a fact none of us can refute.”

“The human faction also agrees.” Declan smiled grimly. “Since we are the ones who are most at risk, it would be stupidity to do anything else.”

Now all eyes were on Vincent, the witches' spokesman. “We also agree.” He smiled sardonically. “And as I know Elijah, he has already prepared the contract.”

Elijah smirked. “Of course I have, and I kept it short and sweet.”

Now Josh got up and gave everyone present a copy of the original contract that was in front of Elijah.

Elijah waited patiently for everyone to read the contract. “Do you have any comments or concerns?”

Nobody said anything.

“Then let's sign it.” Elijah was very pleased. He got up and took the original contract to Klaus, who accepted it.

Without his usual drama and flair, Klaus was the first to sign the contract, which provided some relief. Then he got up and made room for the leaders of the other factions, who stood up one after the other and also signed. He and Elijah had discussed this beforehand so that no leader could feel affronted because Klaus had given the contract to one of the others first.

It was Elijah, who made the last signature. Klaus might be the official ruler of New Orleans, but they all knew that no agreement could hold if Elijah didn’t signed it too.

“How about a glass of sparkling wine to celebrate the signing of the contract?” Elijah asked with a smile.

Again it was Josh who got up and got the prepared glasses from the kitchen. Everyone took a glass.

It was Klaus who spoke. “A toast! We have now allied against a common and dangerous enemy, who threatens our home and our city. As Dayla said, only together can we stand and win against them.”

Everyone drank.

Elijah sat down again and everyone followed his example. “What findings were learned from interrogating and following the Bloods?”

It was Dayla who answered. “We were able to find 3 further bases, as well as the position of numerous safe houses and contacts. We wrote them down. There are at least 300 other Bloods in town.” There were murmurs about the numbers.

“This is in line with the answers that we gathered during the interrogations”, Marcel spoke for the first time.

“Is an attack imminent?” Klaus asked enquiringly.

“No, the capture of the main base caused some unrest and disorganization among the Bloods”, Marcel replied immediately.

“So it wouldn't hurt if we continued monitoring the Bloods for another day?” Elijah asked thoughtfully.

Marcel thought about it for a moment. “No, not in my opinion”, he answered then firmly.

Klaus and Elijah briefly exchanged glances.

“Experience has shown that it always takes three days for a new structure to form”, said Klaus with a malicious grin.

“And we all know that a new structure is very sensitive and can be destroyed with a targeted blow if you know where to hit”, Elijah added with the same smile as his brother. As little as they normally resembled each other physically, now it could not be overlooked that they were brothers.

Everyone present, who on one occasion or the other had been on the receiving end of this smile, shuddered involuntarily.

“I think its best if we let Klaus and Elijah plan the attack”, Vincent said dryly. 

There was no contradiction from the other leaders of the factions. They all knew that none of them could keep up with the two Originals, when they were making plans.

“Please give us any information you have. Niklaus and I will go through it first before we come up with a plan. As soon as we have outlined one, we meet again for fine-tuning.   
Because one thing is certain, no faction can fight alone against so many Bloods. We had the first time the element of surprise on our side, this is no longer the case. This time it must be a coordinated attack against multiple targets at once.” There was murmur of approval from everyone present.   
“And we must already think about the next step, so I think it's important that we capture as many Bloods alive as possible”, Elijah said calmly. “Which means we will need a place where to hold them captive.”

“I would find it kind of poetic justice if we used their own cells under their headquarters for this, you know the ones, the Bloods had originally intended for us”, said Declan with a spiteful grin.

“That is a good idea. As soon as we have carried out our attack, they will be safe for us to use”, agreed Elijah.

“And like you said, it would be kind of poetic justice,” said Klaus with a smile. “I also want to withdraw my vampires completely from guarding the prisoners, they are completely unsuitable for it.”

“Yes, I think the most suitable for this task are the humans, protected by witches, vampires and werewolves, they should take the main responsibility for the prisoners.” Elijah looked questioningly at Declan.

Declan turned to his deputies, who thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement. 

“We'll take care of it”, Declan explained in a calm voice.

The groups clarified a few other points, then the visitors left satisfied with this meeting the compound.

“Well, that was a productive meeting for once”, said Elijah when they were alone again.

“Especially when you consider that Klaus made not one death threat”, Damon said mockingly.

Klaus growled. “That can be changed rather quickly.”

“Children, please!” Elijah looked admonishingly at the two troublemakers.

“I would suggest that we now take care of Marcel’s problem”, Rebekah said seriously. She wanted her husband to be safe.

Freya and Bonnie looked at each other.

“That's fine with us”, said Freya with a smile. “Let's go upstairs to my studio, Marcel.”

“I'll come with you”, said Rebekah firmly. The three women and Marcel left the room.

“How long will it take?” Alaric asked curiously.

Davina and Kol, who had also checked the spell, answered together. “Not long, maybe an hour.”

“Then I would suggest that we wait until Marcel is back before we start making plans”, Klaus said softly.

“How about having breakfast?” asked Elijah practically as always.

“Good idea, I'm hungry”, said Damon.

“Then every one of you should grab a chair”, Bonnie said bossy. “And since Elijah and I were the ones, who fetched them, can you bring them back now.”

Obediently, everyone did what Bonnie wanted, while she and Elijah watched them with delight.


End file.
